Inhibition of autophagy and tumor growth in colon cancer by miR-502

Autophagy is a catabolic process that allows cellular macromolecules to be broken down and recycled as metabolic precursors. The influence of non-coding microRNAs (miRNAs) in autophagy has not been explored in colon cancer. In this study, we discover a novel mechanism of autophagy regulated by hsa-miR-502-5p (miR-502) by suppression of Rab1B, a critical mediator of autophagy. A number of other miR-502 suppressed mRNA targets (e.g. DHODH) are also identified by microarray analysis. Ectopic expression of miR-502 inhibited autophagy, colon cancer cell growth, and cell cycle progression of colon cancer cells in vitro. miR-502 also inhibited in vivo colon cancer growth in a mouse tumor xenografts model. In addition, the expression of miR-502 was regulated by p53 via a negative feedback regulatory mechanism. The expression of miR-502 was down-regulated in colon cancer patient specimens compared to the paired normal control samples. These results suggest that miR-502 may function as a potential tumor suppressor and therefore be a novel candidate for developing miR-502 based therapeutic strategies.