Prostate cancer is among the most widespread
malignancies affecting men in the world. Its aggressive evolution has been associated with altered expression of suppressor of
cytokine signaling 6 (SOCS6) but very little is known about the mechanism by which this alteration occurs. The purpose of this study was to explore the role of SOCS6 in
prostate cancer cells and the involvement of its regulating
microRNA (miR), miR-24-3p.
Prostate cancer cell lines were used to determine the transcription level of miR-24-3p and SOCS6 by quantitative
reverse-transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and Western blot. Cell proliferation and cell migration assays were doneto determine the effect of miR-24-3p mimics and inhibitors on cell proliferation, invasion and migration.
Luciferase reporter assay with SOCS6 3'-UTR was performed to confirm the control of SOCS6 expression by the miR. The results showed that miR-24-3p was up-regulated in
prostate cancer cells whereas SOCS6
protein was downregulated. Overexpression of miR-24-3p in
prostate cancer cells promoted cell proliferation, inhibited apoptosis, and increased cell migration and invasion.
Luciferase reporter assays showed that SOCS6 is a direct target of its negative regulator miR-24-3p and overexpression of SOCS6 reverses the effects of miR-24-3p on the metastatic phenotype of
prostate cancer cells. These results show case miR-24-3p up-regulation in
prostate cancer and a mechanism for inhibition of SOCS6 expression. Thus, the miR-24-3p/SOCS6 pathway could be a relevant avenue for
prostate cancer treatment.