miR-141 inhibits glioma vasculogenic mimicry by controlling EphA2 expression

Human glioma is a pernicious tumor from the central nervous system; it has been reported that microRNAs (miRs) may have carcinogenic or tumor suppressor effects on human glioma. The aim of the present study was to assess miR-141 expression and functional role in human primary glioma, as well as in tumor-derived cell lines. The expression of miR-141 in primary human glioma tissues and cell lines was assessed by employing reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Next, its role in cellular growth, migration, invasion and vasculogenic mimicry (VM) regulation was determined using various in vitro and in vivo assays, and on the identification its target gene(s) using luciferase assays. The results demonstrated that miR-141 expression was downregulated, and Ephrin type-A receptor 2 (EphA2) was upregulated in the primary human gliomas and human glioma-derived cell lines tested. In addition, a negative correlation existed between miR-141 and EphA2 expression levels in glioma grades II, III and IV. Furthermore, exogenous miR-141 expression resulted in decreased proliferation, migration and invasion, as well as in apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in vitro. It was also revealed that exogenous miR-141 expression resulted in in vivo inhibition of tumor growth and inhibition of the development of VM. Finally, the present study successfully confirmed that EphA2 was a direct target of miR-141 in glioma-derived cells using luciferase assays. Based on these results, it was concluded that miR-141 may regulate cell proliferation, migration, invasion and VM formation by controlling EphA2 expression; also, its target EphA2 may be a novel diagnostic/prognostic biomarker and a potential anti-VM therapeutic target.