Cited by 754MicroRNA in disease regulationCytokine Signaling Pathways and InteractionsMechanisms of cancer metastasis

IL-6R/STAT3/miR-34a feedback loop promotes EMT-mediated colorectal cancer invasion and metastasis

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Rokavec, Matjaz, Öner, Meryem Gülfem, Li, Huihui, Jackstadt, Rene, Jiang, Longchang, Lodygin, Dmitri, Kaller, Markus, Horst, David +6 more·2014·Journal of Clinical Investigation

Abstract

Members of the miR-34 family are induced by the tumor suppressor p53 and are known to inhibit epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and therefore presumably suppress the early phases of metastasis. Here, we determined that exposure of human colorectal cancer (CRC) cells to the cytokine IL-6 activates the oncogenic STAT3 transcription factor, which directly represses the MIR34A gene via a conserved STAT3-binding site in the first intron. Repression of MIR34A was required for IL-6-induced EMT and invasion. Furthermore, we identified the IL-6 receptor (IL-6R), which mediates IL-6-dependent STAT3 activation, as a conserved, direct miR-34a target. The resulting IL-6R/STAT3/miR-34a feedback loop was present in primary colorectal tumors as well as CRC, breast, and prostate cancer cell lines and associated with a mesenchymal phenotype. An active IL-6R/STAT3/miR-34a loop was necessary for EMT, invasion, and metastasis of CRC cell lines and was associated with nodal and distant metastasis in CRC patient samples. p53 activation in CRC cells interfered with IL-6-induced invasion and migration via miR-34a-dependent downregulation of IL6R expression. In Mir34a-deficient mice, colitis-associated intestinal tumors displayed upregulation of p-STAT3, IL-6R, and SNAIL and progressed to invasive carcinomas, which was not observed in WT animals. Collectively, our data indicate that p53-dependent expression of miR-34a suppresses tumor progression by inhibiting a IL-6R/STAT3/miR-34a feedback loop.

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Crossref · 10.1172/jci73531

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  • IL-6 has been previously identified as a key cytokine that directly induces tumour growth in CRC via STAT3 activation in IECs.

    “IL-6 has been previously identified as a key cytokine that directly induces tumuor growth in CRC via STAT3 activation in IECs.12,15,46,47.”

    From PU.1-driven Th9 Cells Promote Colorectal Cancer in Experimental Colitis Models Through Il-6 Effects in Intestinal Epithelial Cells (2022) · cites this paper as [47]

    The Results (p. 2) show that IL-6 activates STAT3 in a colorectal cancer cell line and promotes EMT and invasion. The paper does not establish the more specific claim that IL-6 directly induces tumour growth through STAT3 activation in intestinal epithelial cells; its reported outcomes here are invasion and metastasis, not tumour growth. (LLM, conf=0.86)

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Authors
Rokavec, M., Öner, M. G., Li, H., Jackstadt, R., Jiang, L., Lodygin, D., Kaller, M., Horst, D., Ziegler, P. K., Schwitalla, S., Slotta-Huspenina, J., Bader, F. G., Greten, F. R., & Hermeking, H.
Affiliations
  • TUM Klinikum (DE)
  • Pathologisches Institut (DE)
  • Universitätsmedizin Göttingen (DE)
  • German Cancer Research Center (DE)
Venue
Journal of Clinical Investigation
Published
2014-03-18
Volume
124
Issue
4
Pages
1853-1867
ISSN
0021-9738 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2104268053
Cited by
753
References
66
Citations by year
2026: 17 · 2025: 29 · 2024: 60 · 2023: 66 · 2022: 90 · 2021: 69 · 2020: 66 · 2019: 76 · 2018: 59 · 2017: 69 · 2016: 65 · 2015: 66 · 2014: 20
FWCI
23.51
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Journal of Clinical Investigation (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • mediaTUM (Technical University of Munich) (submittedVersion)
  • GRO (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • Johns Hopkins University (HCT116)
  • Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
  • Deutsche Krebshilfe
  • Deutschen Konsortium für Translationale Krebsforschung
  • FP7 Ideas: European Research Council (281967)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Cancer Research › MicroRNA in disease regulation
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Oncology › Cytokine Signaling Pathways and Interactions
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Mechanisms of cancer metastasis
Keywords
colorectal cancer, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, interleukin-6, IL-6 receptor, STAT3, miR-34a, feedback loops, tumor invasion, metastasis, p53, snails, microRNA regulation
MeSH terms
Snail Family Transcription Factors, Animals, Disease Models, Animal, Female, Humans, Male, Neoplasm Invasiveness, Neoplasm Metastasis, Transcription Factors, Colorectal Neoplasms, Mice, Knockout, Receptors, Interleukin-6, Feedback, Physiological, MicroRNAs, Cell Line, Tumor, STAT3 Transcription Factor, Mice, Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition

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