Downregulation of microRNA-214 and PTEN in tissue samples of patients with breast cancer

Abstract Background MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a large group of small non-coding RNAs with critical functions in the regulation of important genes involved in cellular proliferation and apoptosis, at post-transcription level. Phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) is a best example of miRNAs target genes. In the present study, we aimed to evaluate the expression levels of miR-214 and PTEN in tumor tissues and adjacent normal tissues in patients with breast cancer. Methods The expression levels of miR-214 and PTEN were measured in tumor tissue and compared to adjacent normal cells in 42 patients with breast cancer by qRT-PCR. Statistical analysis was processed using SPSS 21.0, GraphPad 7.00 software or the Student's t-test. All data from at least three separate experiments are presented. Results We found a significant downregulation of miR-214 expression levels in tumor tissues in comparison to normal tissues (0.85 ± 0.45 vs. 9.59 ± 1.71; P  Conclusion These findings suggest that miR-214 and PTEN have tumor-suppressor activity and thus, pharmaceutical interventions targeting miR-124 and PTEN may provide a promising therapeutic strategy for the treatment of breast cancer.