MAPK-induced miR-29 restrains melanoma progression by targeting MAFG

The tumor suppressive miR-29 family of microRNAs is encoded by two clusters, miR-29b1~a and miR-29b2~c, which are regulated by oncogenic and tumor suppressive stimuli, including p53. Here we investigated whether MAPK hyperactivation-induced oncogenic stress regulates miR-29 abundance and how this signaling axis impacts melanoma development. Using mouse embryonic fibroblasts and human melanocytes, we found that oncogenic MAPK signaling stimulates p53-independent and p53-dependent transcription of pri-miR-29b1~a and pri-miR-29b2~c, respectively. Expression analyses revealed that while pri-miR-29a~b1 remains elevated, pri-miR-29b2~c levels decrease during melanoma progression. Using a rapid mouse modeling platform, we showed that inactivation of miR-29 in vivo accelerates the development of frank melanomas and decreases overall survival. We identified MAFG as a relevant miR-29 target that has oncogenic potential in melanocytes and is required for growth of melanoma cells. Our findings suggest that MAPK-driven miR-29 induction constitutes a tumor suppressive barrier by targeting MAFG, which is overcome by attenuation of miR-29b2~c expression.