Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is a prevalent malignancy affecting the digestive tract, with an increasing incidence rate worldwide. Recently, numerous studies revealed that microRNAs were associated with gene expression regulation, particularly their involvement in the regulation of tumor cells, garnering widespread attention. Here, we discovered that miR-196a-5p was significantly upregulated in both ESCC tissues and cells, which was correlated with an unfavorable prognosis. Series functional in vitro investigations have confirmed that silencing miR-196a-5p obviously restrained the ESCC cells malignant phenotypes and promoted apoptosis. Bioinformatics analysis and rescue experiments revealed that miR-196a-5p directly targeted ITM2B, exerting influence on the development of ESCC cells through negative regulation of ITM2B expression. Xenograft mouse models were established for conducting in vivo experiments, providing further confirmation of the regulatory mechanism and biological significance of the miR-196a-5p/ITM2B axis in ESCC. Our research demonstrated miR-196a-5p promoted ESCC malignant progression by interacting with ITM2B, thereby providing novel clues and potential targets for the new diagnosis and thereby of ESCC.

中文翻译：

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MicroRNA-196a-5p 通过靶向 ITM2B 促进食管鳞状细胞癌的发生和进展

食管鳞状细胞癌（ESCC）是一种影响消化道的常见恶性肿瘤，全球发病率不断增加。近年来，大量研究表明microRNA与基因表达调控尤其是参与肿瘤细胞的调控相关，受到广泛关注。在这里，我们发现 miR-196a-5p 在 ESCC 组织和细胞中显着上调，这与不良预后相关。系列功能性体外研究证实，沉默miR-196a-5p可明显抑制食管鳞癌细胞的恶性表型并促进细胞凋亡。生物信息学分析和拯救实验表明，miR-196a-5p直接靶向ITM2B，通过负调控ITM2B表达影响ESCC细胞的发育。建立异种移植小鼠模型进行体内实验，进一步证实miR-196a-5p/ITM2B轴在ESCC中的调控机制和生物学意义。我们的研究表明miR-196a-5p通过与ITM2B相互作用促进ESCC恶性进展，从而为ESCC的新诊断提供新的线索和潜在靶点。