miR-548c-5p inhibits proliferation and migration and promotes apoptosis in CD90⁺ HepG2 cells

Background. Since the introduction of the theory of tumour stem cells (TSCs), the liver cancer stem cell (LCSC)-like cells have become one of the focuses in the research on liver cancer.

Materials and methods. In this study, CD90⁺ cells were applied as the possible LCSC-like cells, and the miRNA and gene expression were analyzed in the CD90⁺ HepG2 cells. The pilot study showed miR-548c-5p exerted potential effect on the CD90⁺ HepG2 cells and was thereafter applied for the further study. CD90⁺ HepG2 cells were assigned to miR-548c-5p mimic transfection group and control group. MTT assay was performed to detect the proliferation of CD90⁺ HepG2 cells. The migration and invasion abilities were examined by wound healing assay and transwell migration assay, respectively. A detection of apoptosis was performed by fluorescence microscopy.

Results. Our results showed that caspase-3 and bcl-2 were down-regulated while caspase-8 was up-regulated in the CD90⁺ HepG2 cells. Moreover, the miR-548c-5p transfection could down-regulate the expression of β-catenin, Tg737, bcl-2, bcl-XL, and caspase-3, inhibit the proliferation, migration and invasion and promote the apoptosis of the CD90⁺ HepG2 cells.

Conclusions. Our findings indicate the imbalance between apoptosis and anti-apoptosis in the LCSC-like cells, which influence the biological features of LCSC-like cells. miRNA plays a regulatory role in the LCSC-like cells among which miR-548c-5p might be a suppressor.