As a member of the
collagen family,
collagen α-1(III) (COL3A1) is an important
protein in the development and progression of several
tumors. However, the role of COL3A1 in
glioma is not yet clear. The present study examined the expression and function of COL3A1 in
glioma cell behavior and identified
microRNA (
miRNA) regulators. It was demonstrated that COL3A1 expression was upregulated in
glioma and directly correlated with the
tumor grade. Analysis of the GSE4290 and GSE7696 profiles acquired from the Gene Expression Omnibus database also revealed an increased COL3A1 expression in
malignant gliomas compared with the lower grade
gliomas and non-
tumor brain tissue, which was directly correlated with
glioma grade. To explore the functional role of COL3A1 in
glioma cell growth,
small interfering RNA interference was applied to inhibit COL3A1 expression in Hs683 and U251 cells. The relative COL3A1
mRNA and
protein expression levels were significantly reduced in the knockdown cells as determined by western blot analysis. In addition, decreased COL3A1 expression in Hs683 and U251
glioma cells resulted in a delay in cell growth and colony disruption as determined by MTS and colony formation assays. Wound healing analysis indicated that cells with suppressed expression of COL3A1 had a reduced ability to migrate. COL3A1
mRNA levels were inversely correlated with the miR128-3p level in
glioma, suggesting that miR128-3p expression is associated with COL3A1 inhibition as verified by reverse transcription-quantified polymerase chain reaction. These results suggest that COL3A1 may be a novel regulator of
glioblastoma cell behavior and may represent a novel target for gene
therapies against
glioma.