Mast cells have essential effector and immunoregulatory functions in IgE-associated allergic disorders and certain innate and adaptive immune responses, but the role of miRNAs in regulating mast cell functions is almost completely unexplored. To examine the role of the activation-induced miRNA miR-221 in mouse mast cells, we developed robust lentiviral systems for miRNA overexpression and deple...

miR-221/-222 and components of the urokinase-type plasminogen activator system (uPAS) are associated with metastasis and poor prognosis in breast cancer, including the triple-negative subtype (TNBC). Modification of components of uPAS and involved miRNAs may contribute to targeted therapy for breast cancer patients. miR-221-/-222-overexpressing or miR-221-depleted cells were employed for qRT-PC...

The miR-221/222 cluster is significantly upregulated in malignant glioma cells and regulates the expression of multiple genes associated with glioma cell proliferation, invasion and apoptosis, which was shown in our previous studies. Cx43 has been identified as a tumor suppressor and major component for the establishment of gap junction intercellu...

BACKGROUND Distant metastasis is the major cause of cancer-related death, and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) has a critical role in this process. Accumulating evidence indicates that EMT can be regulated by microRNAs (miRNAs). miR-221, as oncogenes in several human cancers, was significantly up-regulated in bladder cancers. However, the role of miR-221 in the progression of bladder ...

Background: Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular parasite, which affects a wide-range of mammals including human. Based on serological studies, T. gondii is one of the most prevalent protozoan parasites. Most cases of toxoplasmosis are asymptomatic or mild and influenza-like, but immunocompromised patients often develop fulminating life-threatening symptoms as pneumonia and encephalit...

MicroRNAs (miRNAs or miRs) are a family of small non‑coding RNAs that regulate gene expression by the sequence-selective targeting of mRNAs, leading to translational repression or mRNA degradation, depending on the degree of complementarity with target mRNA sequences. miRNAs play a crucial role in cancer. In the case of breast tumors, several studies have demonstrated a correlation between: i) ...

Mast cells play a central role in asthma. Moreover, serum miRNA-221-3p (miR-221) has been shown to be markedly increased in children with asthma. In the current study, we aimed to examine miR-221 expression in an asthma model and elucidate the mechanisms regulating interleukin (IL)-4 secretion in mast cells. Using polymerase chain reaction, we found that miR-221 was upregulated in a murine asth...

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) cells are usually resistant to doxorubicin, resulting in limited application of doxorubicin in OSCC treatment. MicroRNA (miR)‑221 has been reported to be involved in the development of OSCC; however, it remains unclear if and how miR‑221 is implicated in modulating the sensitivity of OSCC cells to doxorubicin. In the present study, reverse transcription‑quant...

MicroRNAs are involved in the initiation and progression of pancreatic cancer. In this study, we showed that miR-221/222 is overexpressed in pancreatic cancer. MiR-221/222 overexpression significantly promoted pancreatic cancer cell proliferation and invasion while inhibiting apoptosis. The expression of the matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) MMP-2 and MMP-9 was increased in miR-221/222 mimic-tra...

MicroRNAs (miRNAs/miRs) are a group of non-coding RNAs that regulate the activity of target mRNAs and cellular processes, and which have been implicated in the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases. miR-221 is one of the miRNAs that regulate cell proliferation, invasion and apoptosis in tumors. However, the role of miR-221 in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) remains to be fully elucidated. Therefore, th...