MicroRNA-329-3p inhibits the Wnt/β-catenin pathway and proliferation of osteosarcoma cells by targeting transcription factor 7-like 1

An important factor in the emergence and progression of osteosarcoma (OS) is the dysregulated expression of microRNAs (miRNAs). Transcription factor 7-like 1 (TCF7L1), a member of the T cell factor/lymphoid enhancer factor (TCF/LEF) transcription factor family, interacts with the Wnt signaling pathway regulator β-catenin and acts as a DNA-specific binding protein. This study sought to elucidate the impact of the interaction between miR-329-3p and TCF7L1 on the growth and apoptosis of OS and analyze the regulatory expression relationship between miRNA and mRNA in osteosarcoma cells using a variety of approaches. MiR329-3p was significantly downregulated, while TCF7L1 was considerably up-regulated in all examined OS cell lines. Additionally, a clinical comparison study was performed using the TCGA database. Subsequently, the regulatory relationship between miR-329-3p and TCF7L1 on the proliferation and apoptosis of OS cells was verified through in vitro and in vivo experiments. When miR-329-3p was transfected into the OS cell line, the expression of TCF7L1 decreased, the proliferation of OS cells was inhibited, the cytoskeleton disintegrated, and the nucleus condensed to form apoptotic bodies. The expression of proteins that indicate apoptosis increased simultaneously. The cell cycle was arrested in the G0/G1 phase, and the G1/S transition was blocked. The introduction of miR-329-3p also inhibited downstream Cyclin D1 of the Wnt pathway. Xenograft experiments indicated that the overexpression of miR-329-3p significantly inhibited the growth of OS xenografts in nude mice, and the expression of TCF7L1 and c-Myc in tumor tissues decreased. MiR-329-3p was significantly reduced in OS cells and played a suppressive role in tumorigenesis and proliferation by targeting TCF7L1 both in vitro and in vivo. Osteosarcoma cell cycle arrest and pathway inhibition were observed upon the regulation of TCF7L1 by miR-329-3p. Summarizing these results, it can be inferred that miR-329-3p exerts anticancer effects in osteosarcoma by inhibiting TCF7L1.