Abstract 2285: Inhibition of autophagy and tumor growth in colon cancer by miR-502

Proceedings: AACR 103rd Annual Meeting 2012‐‐ Mar 31‐Apr 4, 2012; Chicago, IL Autophagy is a catabolic process that allows cellular macromolecules to be broken down and recycled as metabolic precursors. The influence of non-coding microRNAs (miRNAs) in autophagy has not been explored in colon cancer. In this study, we discovered a novel mechanism of autophagy regulated by hsa-miR-502-5p (miR-502) by suppression of Rab1B, a critical mediator of autophagy. A number of other miR-502 suppressed mRNA targets (e.g. DHODH) were also identified by microarray analysis. Ectopic expression of miR-502 inhibited autophagy, colon cancer cell growth, and cell cycle progression of colon cancer cells in vitro. miR-502 also inhibited in vivo colon cancer growth in a mouse tumor xenografts model. In addition, the expression of miR-502 was regulated by p53 via a negative feedback regulatory mechanism. The expression of miR-502 was down-regulated in colon cancer patient specimens compared to the paired normal control samples. These results suggest that miR-502 may function as a potential tumor suppressor and therefore be a novel candidate for developing miR-502 based therapeutic strategies. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 2285. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-2285