Nonconserved miR-608 suppresses prostate cancer progression through RAC2/PAK4/LIMK1 and BCL2L1/caspase-3 pathways by targeting the 3'-UTRs of RAC2/BCL2L1 and the coding region of PAK4.

The aim of this study is to investigate the functions and mechanisms of miR-608 in prostate cancer (PCa). CISH and qRT-PCR analysis demonstrated that miR-608 was low expressed in PCa tissues and cells, which was partly attributed to the methylation of CpG island adjacent to the transcription start site (TSS) of miR-608 gene. Intracellular miR-608 overexpression inhibited in vivo PCa tumor growth, and suppressed PCa cell proliferation, G2/M transition, and migration in vitro, which was independent of EMT-associated mechanisms. Then RAC2, a GTPase previously deemed hematopoiesis-specific but now discovered to exist and play important roles in PCa, was verified by western blot and dual-luciferase reporter assays to mediate the effects of miR-608 through RAC2/PAK4/LIMK1/cofilin pathway. MiR-608 also promoted the apoptosis of PCa cells through BCL2L1/caspase-3 pathway by targeting the 3'-UTR of BCL2L1. Moreover, PAK4, the downstream effector of RAC2, was found to be targeted by miR-608 at the mRNA coding sequence (CDS) instead of the canonical 3'-UTR. Knocking down RAC2, PAK4, or BCL2L1 with siRNAs reproduced the antiproliferative, mitosis-obstructive, antimigratory and proapoptotic effects of miR-608 in PCa cells, which could be attenuated by downregulating miR-608. In conclusion, miR-608 suppresses PCa progression, and its activation provides a new therapeutic option for PCa.