MicroRNA-761 is upregulated in hepatocellular carcinoma and regulates tumorigenesis by targeting Mitofusin-2

Abstract

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the sixth most prevalent cancer and the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. The fate of a cell is determined by the balance between the processes of fission and fusion that constantly occur in the mitochondria of cells. We previously showed that overexpression of Mitofusin-2 can induce apoptosis in HCC cells by triggering an influx of Ca2+ into the mitochondria from the ER. The function of Mitofusin-2 has been studied extensively, but the mechanism underlying the post-transcriptional regulation of Mitofusin-2 has not been elucidated. In the present study, we aimed to identify the mechanism of Mitofusin-2 regulation in HCC. We demonstrated that Mitofusin-2 is a direct target of miR-761, which was found to be upregulated in HCC tissues. Furthermore, a miR-761 inhibitor impaired mitochondrial function by upregulating Mitofusin-2 and effectively repressed tumor growth and metastasis both in vivo and in vitro. Our findings provide new insight into the mechanism underlying Mitofusin-2 regulation and the potential role of miR-761 in HCC, making it a potential candidate for use in HCC therapy in the future.