MiR-335 inhibits migration of breast cancer cells through targeting oncoprotein c-Met

Metastasis is the leading cause of death in patients with breast cancer and aberrantly expressed microRNAs (miRNAs) are highly associated with this process. A previous study has shown that miR-335 is downregulated in breast cancer and can suppress tumor invasion and metastasis. Emerging evidences indicate that c-Met is implicated in cell scattering, migration, and invasion. However, little is known about the relationship between miR-335 expression and c-Met alteration in breast cancer. In the present study, we found that miR-335 expression was downregulated and c-Met protein expression was upregulated in two human breast cell lines. MiR-335 was found to negatively regulate c-Met protein level by directly targeting its 3' untranslated region (UTR). Forced expression of miR-335 decreased c-Met expression at protein levels and consequently diminished hepatocyte growth factor (HGF)-induced phosphorylation of c-Met and subsequently inhibited HGF promotion of breast cancer cell migration in a c-Met-dependent manner. MiR-335 expression was increased after 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine (5-AZA-CdR) treatment, and 5-AZA-CdR treatment resulted in the same phenotype as the effect of miR-335 overexpression. Taken together, these results demonstrate that miR-335 suppresses breast cancer cell migration by negatively regulating the HGF/c-Met pathway.