Proteomic identification of target proteins following Drosha knockdown in cervical cancer

Abstract

The nuclear microRNA (miRNA) processing enzyme Drosha is upregulated in cervical cancer, and its overexpression is related to an invasive tumour phenotype. However, the mechanisms that underlie this effect remain poorly understood. The aim of this study was to identify the potential targets of Drosha in cervical cancer. Here, we demonstrated that Drosha knockdown (Drosha-KD) inhibited proliferation, colony formation and the migration of cervical cancer cells in vitro. A global upregulation of proteins in Drosha-KD cells was revealed by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE). Eighteen proteins were identified by liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry technology (LC-MS/MS) from 21 selected protein spots that exhibited significant alterations in Drosha-KD cells. The majority of the identified proteins have been previously associated with tumour formation. The downregulation of tubulin 5β in Drosha-KD cervical cancer cells was further confirmed by western blotting. Our results suggest that Drosha affects the biological activity of cervical cancer cells by regulating the expression of numerous tumour-associated proteins.