MicroRNAs (miRNAs) can function as negative regulators of gene expression by binding to the 3′-untranslated region (3′-UTR) of target genes. The aberrant expression of miRNAs in neoplasm is extensively associated with tumorigenesis and cancer progression, including esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Our previous investigation has identified the oncogenic roles of Peroxiredoxin2 (PRDX2) in ESCC progression; however, its upstream regulatory mechanism remains to be elucidated. By merging the prediction results from miRWalk2.0 and miRNA differential expression analysis results based on The Cancer Genome Atlas Esophageal Carcinoma (TCGA-ESCA) database, eight miRNA candidates were predicted to be the potential regulatory miRNAs of PRDX2, followed by further identification of miR-92a-2-5p as the putative miRNA of PRDX2. Subsequent functional studies demonstrated that miR-92a-2-5p can suppress ESCC cell proliferation and migration, as well as tumor growth in subcutaneous tumor xenograft models, which might be mediated by the suppression of AKT/mTOR and Wnt3a/β-catenin signaling pathways upon miR-92a-2-5p mimic transfection condition. These data revealed the tumor suppressive functions of miR-92a-2-5p in ESCC by targeting PRDX2.

MicroRNA (miRNA) 可以通过与靶基因的 3'-非翻译区 (3'-UTR) 结合，充当基因表达的负调节因子。肿瘤中 miRNA 的异常表达与肿瘤发生和癌症进展密切相关，包括食管鳞状细胞癌 (ESCC)。我们之前的研究已经确定了 Peroxiredoxin2 (PRDX2) 在 ESCC 进展中的致癌作用；但其上游调控机制仍有待阐明。通过合并miRWalk2.0的预测结果和基于The Cancer Genome Atlas Esophageal Carcinoma (TCGA-ESCA)数据库的miRNA差异表达分析结果，预测8个候选miRNA为PRDX2的潜在调控miRNA，并进一步鉴定miR -92a-2-5p 作为 PRDX2 的推定 miRNA。随后的功能研究表明，miR-92a-2-5p可以抑制ESCC细胞的增殖和迁移，以及皮下肿瘤异种移植模型中的肿瘤生长，这可能是通过抑制AKT/mTOR和Wnt3a/β-catenin信号通路来介导的miR-92a-2-5p 模拟转染条件。这些数据揭示了 miR-92a-2-5p 通过靶向 PRDX2 在 ESCC 中的肿瘤抑制功能。