NF-κB signal transduction is a potential therapeutic target in many malignant
tumors. We have recently shown, in malignant renal proximal
tumor cells, that a transcription complex, consisting of NF-κB p65 and
mitogen-activated protein kinase p38α, joined by
protein kinase C (PKC) α, transmigrates into the nucleus. There, PKCα suppresses the nuclear release of
primary microRNA (
pri-miRNA) 15a. Induced by
endothelin (ET)-1, a decrease in PKCα levels leads to increased
miRNA 15a (miR-15A) expression. An identical system can be identified in
renal carcinomas, in which, after nuclear transmigration, PKCα binds directly to
pri-miRNA 15a in the nucleus. However, the pattern of PKC
isoforms differs between malignant
renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and benign
oncocytoma. PKCα, a component of the transcription complex in
tumors, is up-regulated in benign
oncocytoma but down-regulated in RCC. Conversely,
miRNA 15a is up-regulated in RCC and down-regulated in
oncocytoma. A similar behavior is observed in chromophobe
carcinoma, whereas differences are less pronounced in papillary RCC (type I): NF-κB target gene expression (ie, ET-1, ET-A and ET-B receptors,
vascular cell adhesion molecule-1, IL-6, and
fractalkine) is particularly high in malignant RCCs. Up-regulated
miRNA 15a can be measured in urine from patients with RCC but is nearly undetectable in
oncocytoma, other
tumors, and urinary tract
inflammation. Thus, the up-regulation of
miRNA 15a may be an important marker to help identify malignant clear-cell RCCs in both biopsy and urine samples.