ErbB2 down-regulates microRNA-205 in breast cancer

Gene amplification and protein overexpression of erbB2 (Her2/neu) has been observed in approximately 20-30% of breast cancers. ErbB2-positive breast cancer is tend to be more aggressive than other types of breast cancer and therefore further investigation on the signaling pathways of erbB2 is needed for the therapeutic target for breast cancer treatment. Here we report that microRNA-205 (miR-205), a molecule also reported to be associated with breast cancer, is negatively regulated by erbB2 overexpression. Breast epithelial cells exogenously overexpressed with erbB2 decreased the expression of miR-205, whereas increased the expression of cyclin D1, cyclin E, cyclin-dependent kinase 2 (CDK2), cyclin-dependent kinase 4 (CDK4), and cyclin-dependent kinase 6 (CDK6). The decreased expression of miR-205 slightly increased by the transfection of erbB2 siRNA into the erbB2-overexpressing breast cancer epithelial cells. Overexpression of erbB2 enabled breast epithelial cells to grow anchorage-independently in soft agar, and the transfection of the precursor of miR-205 into the cells leaded to the decrease in the ability to grow in soft agar. These results suggest that down-regulation of miR-205 in erbB2-overexpressing breast epithelial cells is essential for erbB2-induced tumorigenesis, and miR-205 may have the potential to be a novel important alternative therapeutic target for erbB2-positive breast cancer. (C) 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.