Oncogenic role of early growth response-1 in liver cancer through the regulation of the microRNA-675/sestrin 3 and the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway

Early growth response-1 (EGR1) is a multi-domain protein and an immediate early transcription factor that is induced during liver injury and controls the expression of a variety of genes implicated in metabolism, cell proliferation, and tumorigenesis. Liver cancer (LC) is a highly malignant disease with high mortality worldwide. This study focused on the function of EGR1 in LC development and the mechanism of action. Two LC-related datasets GSE101728 and GSE138178 downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database were used for identification of key genes involved in cancer progression. A microarray analysis was conducted to identify differentially expressed microRNAs (miRNAs) after EGR1 knockdown. The target gene of miR-675 was identified by integrated analysis. EGR1 and miR-675 were highly expressed, whereas sestrin 3 (SESN3) was poorly expressed in LC tissues and cells. High EGR1 expression was associated with poor liver function and disease severity in patients with LC. Knockdown of EGR1 weakened proliferation and invasiveness of LC cells. EGR1 bound to the miR-675 promoter and increased its transcription, and miR-675 bound to SESN3 mRNA to induce its downregulation. miR-675 upregulation promoted the malignance of LC cells, but further upregulation of SESN3 reduced invasiveness of cells. SESN3 was enriched in the Wnt/β-catenin signaling. EGR1 and miR-675 activated the Wnt/β-catenin through downregulating SESN3. This study demonstrated that EGR1 promotes the malignant behaviors of LC cells through mediating the miRNA-675/SESN3/Wnt/β-catenin axis.