Mir-30a Suppresses Breast Cancer Cell Proliferation And Migration By Targeting Eya2

Eye absent (Eya) proteins are involved in cell fate determination in a broadspectrum of cells and tissues. Aberrant expression of Eya2has been documented in avariety of cancers and correlates with clinical outcome. However, whether microRNAs(miRNAs) can regulate Eya2expression remains unknown. Here, we show thatmiR-30a represses Eya2expression by binding to the3’-untranslated region of Eya2.Overexpression of Eya2in miR-30a-transfected breast cancer cells effectively rescuedthe inhibition of cell proliferation and migration caused by miR-30a. Knockdown ofEya2by small-interfering RNA (siRNA) in breast cancer cells mimicked the effectinduced by miR-30a and abolished the ability of miR-30a to regulate breast cancer cellproliferation and migration. The miR-30a/Eya2axis could regulate G1/S cell cycleprogression, accompanied by the modulation of expression of cell cycle-related proteins,including cyclin A, cyclin D1, cyclin E, c-Myc, and p16. Moreover, miR-30a expressionwas downregulated in breast cancer patients, and negatively correlated with Eya2,which was upregulated in breast cancer patients. These data suggest that themiR-30a/Eya2axis may play an important role in breast cancer development andprogression and that miR-30a activation or Eya2inhibition may be a useful strategy forcancer treatment.