Tumor suppressor miR-1 restrains epithelial-mesenchymal transition and metastasis of colorectal carcinoma via the MAPK and PI3K/AKT pathway

Aberrant expression of miR-1 has been implicated in various cancers. However, the mechanisms underlying the role of miR-1 in CRC progression still have not been clarified clearly. Here, we showed the decreased expression of miR-1 in colorectal carcinoma (CRC) tissues and cell lines. Ectopic introduction of miR-1 suppressed cell proliferation and migration, whereas miR-1 inhibitor performed contrary functions in CRC cells. Stable overexpression of miR-1 was sufficient to inhibit tumor growth and homing capacity in vivo. Proteomic analysis revealed that miR-1 modulated the expression of key cellular molecules and involved in the MAPK and PI3K/AKT pathways by inhibiting phosphorylation of ERK and AKT. Meanwhile, miR-1 also reversed epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT), which played a pivotal role in the initiation of metastasis. Further studies found that miR-1 can target the 3' untranslated region (3'UTR) of LIM and SH3 protein 1 (LASP1) mRNA and suppress the expression of LASP1, identified as a CRC-associated protein. In contrast to the phenotypes induced by miR-1 restoration, LASP1-induced cell proliferation and migration partly rescued miR-1-mediated biological behaviors. Our results illustrated that miR-1 play a critical role in CRC progression, which suggests its potential role in the molecular therapy of cancer. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12967-014-0244-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.