# mir-126-5p Promotes Cisplatin Sensitivity of Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer by Inhibiting ADAM9

Authors: Bo Liu; Rui Wang; Hongyan Liu
Journal: BioMed Research International
 (2021)

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## Abstract

Objective. The aim of the study was to investigate molecular mechanisms underlying the role of miR-126-5p in cisplatin (DDP) sensitivity of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods. The expression of miR-126-5p and ADAM9 in NSCLC cancer tissues and adjacent tissues, cisplatin-sensitive and drug-resistant NSCLC patient tissues, human normal lung epithelial cells (BESA-2B), human lung adenocarcinoma cell lines A549 and H1560, and cisplatin-resistant mutant cell lines A549/DDP and H1560/DDP was detected by qRT-PCR. After overexpression of miR-126-5p or ADAM9 in A549/DDP and H1560/DDP, MTT and clone formation were used to detect the cell proliferation ability of each treatment group. Flow cytometry was used to detect changes in cell apoptosis. The protein expression of ADAM9 and key molecules of PTEN/PI3K/Akt pathways in cells was measured by western blot. Results. Compared with NSCLC adjacent tissues and NSCLC cisplatin-sensitive tissues, miR-126-5p expression was downregulated in NSCLC tissues and cisplatin-resistant NSCLC tissues and ADAM9 was upregulated. qRT-PCR further detected that miR-126-5p was downregulated in A549, H1560, and their cisplatin-resistant strains A549/DDP and H1560/DDP, while ADAM9 was upregulated. Moreover, overexpression of miR-126-5p inhibited A549/DDP and H1560/DDP cell proliferation and promoted cell apoptosis. The results of dual luciferase showed that miR-126-5p targeted and negatively regulated ADAM9. We also found that overexpression of ADAM9 could reverse the effects of miR-126-5p on NSCLC cell proliferation, apoptosis, and cisplatin sensitivity, and this effect may be achieved by inhibiting the activity of the PTEN/PI3K/Akt signaling pathway. Conclusion. Our data indicated that miR-126-5p may negatively regulate ADAM9 to promote the sensitivity of clinical DDP treatment of NSCLC and be a potential therapeutic target for NSCLC treatment.


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## Body

## 1. Introduction

Lung cancer is a common malignancy with the highest incidence and mortality rate in the world, which can be categorized as either small-cell or non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) [1]. While small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) is easy to grow and displays aggressive characteristics, chemotherapy has been routinely used for the treatment of SCLC patients [2]. However, long-term use of anticancer drugs could cause drug resistance, hence resulting in treatment failure. Cisplatin (DDP) is a metal-based chemotherapeutic drug [3], which can exert anticancer activity by targeting multiple sites [4]. DDP binds to genomic DNA or mitochondrial DNA to cause DNA damage, prevent DNA replication, and activate several transduction pathways, eventually inducing necrosis or apoptosis [5]. Notably, drug resistance has been reported in the case of DDP application. Studies have shown that the formation of drug-resistant phenotypes in tumors could be attributed to drug metabolism regulation, inactivation of drugs through binding to different proteins, DNA repair enhancement, and altered expression of proteins related to apoptosis signals [6, 7].Mcnally et al. [8] found that microRNAs (miRNAs) regulate gene expression in different manners, while being involved in drug resistance in tumors. As a family of endogenous noncoding regulatory RNAs, miRNAs are derived from transcripts of the noncoding genes [9] and have been identified in a variety of organisms. It has been reported that miRNAs regulated multiple biological processes, such as cell differentiation, apoptosis, and stress resistance [10]. Mechanistically, miRNAs could function like oncogenes to control target gene expression at posttranscriptional levels. Alternatively, they may act as tumor suppressors to inhibit translation or facilitate the target gene degradation through incomplete base pairing with target mRNA 3′ UTR (3′ end untranslated region), thus leading to gene silencing [8, 11, 12]. Currently, it has been reported that miRNAs regulated drug resistance of various tumors to DDP. For instances, miR-134 can target STAT5B and promote DDP-induced apoptosis in breast cancer [13]; miR-21-5p can enhance DDP resistance of ovarian cancer cells through the NAV3 pathway [14]. As the multifunctional protein ADAM (disintegrin-metalloprotease) gene family member, ADAM9 was found to be highly expressed in various malignancies, while being associated with tumor invasion, metastasis, and poor prognosis [15, 16]. Previous studies have shown that ADAM9 expressed on the cancer cell membrane participates in DDP resistance of clear cell carcinoma cells [17]. Strikingly, numerous studies revealed that ADAM9 acted as a miR-126 target, while miR-126 suppresses tumor cell proliferation, migration, and invasion by targeting ADAM9 [18–25]. Moreover, Caporali et al. reported that miR-126-3p could inhibit growth and metastasis of dabalafini-resistant melanoma and enhance the drug sensitivity via regulating ADAM9 [26]. Therefore, we speculated that miR-126-5p might increase DDP sensitivity of NSCLC cells through inhibiting ADAM9. In this study, we carried out a series of experiments on NSCLC tissue samples and relevant cell lines to determine roles of miR-126-5p in DDP sensitivity of NSCLC cells, as well as the underlying molecular mechanism. The results of these experiments provide valuable guidance in diagnosis and treatment of the DDP-resistant cancer patients.


## 2. Materials and Methods

### 2.1. Tissue Specimens

A total of 60 NSCLC tissues and corresponding nontumor adjacent lung tissues were obtained from NSCLC patients undergoing surgery in our hospital from January 2015 to December 2017. The NSCLC tissues were categorized as DDP-sensitive (sensitive group,n=15) or DDP-resistant (resistant group, n=15). This project was conducted with the ethical approval from the First People’s Hospital of Lianyungang City, and written informed consent was obtained from all patients prior to operation. Based on the time interval between the last dose of DDP and the diagnosis of recurrence, patients were classified as either DDP-sensitive or DDP-resistant cases; more than 6 months of the time interval indicates DPP sensitivity, while less than 6 months of the interval shows DDP resistance.


### 2.2. Cell Lines and Cell Transfection

The cell lines normal human bronchial epithelial cell BESA-2B, human lung adenocarcinoma cell A549, and H1650 were purchased from ATCC. miR-126-5p and corresponding negative mimics were prepared and transfected into DDP-resistant A459/DDP and H1650/DDP cells. The transfected cells were categorized as the following groups: mimics (transfection with miR-126-5p mimics), NC (transfection with mimic NC), miR-126-5p+con (transfection with negative control lentivirus for the overexpression and the mimics), and miR-126-5p+ADAM9 (transfection with ADAM9 overexpressed lentivirus and the mimics). Cells without transfection were set as a control (blank group).


### 2.3. qRT-PCR

The mRNA expression of miR-126-5p, ADAM9, and PTEN in tissues and cells was analyzed by using qRT-PCR. TRIzol reagents were utilized to extract total RNA from the samples, and then, RNA reverse transcription was carried out. Subsequently, SYBR Green-based real-time PCR was conducted using the following cycle parameters: 95°C for 3 min and then 40 cycles of 95°C for 15 s, 60°C for 1 min, and 72°C for 30 s. The primers used for qRT-PCR were as follows: miR-126-5p, forward 5′-GGTATAATCCGCCGCTTAGCTGCC-3′ and reverse 5′-GTGCAGGGTTGCAAGGT-3′; ADAM9, forward 5′-GTGTCCGGTGGTTGCTGT-3′ and reverse 5′-AATAGGGCCTAGGGGCTTCTC-3′; PTEN, forward 5′-TCCCAGACATGACAGCCATC-3′ and reverse 5′-TGCTTTGAATCCAAAAACCTTACT-3′; GAPDH, forward 5′-CTCTGCTCCTCCTGTTCGAC-3′ and reverse 5′-GCGCCCAATACGACCAAATC-3′; and U6, forward 5′-CTCGCTTCGGCAGCACA-3′ and reverse 5′-AACGCTTCACGAATTTGCGT-3′. The U6 or GAPDH was used as controls, respectively. Relative quantification of gene expression levels was performed using the 2−ΔΔCt method.


### 2.4. MTT Assay

The MTT assay was performed to measure the IC50 and proliferative rate of cells administered with DDP at the concentrations of 1, 10, 20, 40, 80, or 160μM in each group, particularly IC50 of cells treated with 80 μM DDP in the blank, mimics, mimics+con, and mimics+ADAM9 groups. The cells were plated into 96-well plates with 1×104 cells/well. For each group, three duplicate wells were used. After 3 days of culture, 2 μL of MTT solution was applied to each well and incubated for 4 h. Then, the culture media were aspirated and replaced by 150 mL DMSO. Finally, the absorbance values were determined at 492 nm by using a microplate spectrophotometer.


### 2.5. Colony Formation Assay

Cells were grown to a logarithmic growth phase, treated with trypsin digestion, and then mashed for preparing single-cell suspensions. After gradient dilution, cells were inoculated in dishes at a density of 50, 100, or 200 cells per dish in 10 mL culture medium prewarmed at 37°C, and gently rotated for an even distribution. Thereafter, the cells were cultured for 2-3 weeks until they formed visible clones. After the supernatants were removed, cell pellets were washed with PBS and fixed in 5 mL of 4% paraformaldehyde, followed by staining with appropriate amount of Giemsa stain for 10-30 min. Then, staining solutions were washed away gently with tap water, and the dishes were air-dried. Finally, the dishes were inverted and overlaid with the transparent film with grids. Those clones containing greater than 10 cells were counted in a light microscope (low magnification), and the rate of colony formation was determined. The assay was conducted in triplicate.


### 2.6. Flow Cytometry

Cells from each group were trypsin-digested, PBS-rinsed twice, and collected. Apoptotic cells were assayed by using the Annexin V-FITC Apoptosis Detection Kit (E. BioSoCion, USA). The cells were first subjected to staining with Annexin V-FITC and propidium iodide at RT and then analyzed using flow cytometry.


### 2.7. Dual-Luciferase Reporter Gene Assay

Cells (293T) were plated in a 96-well culture plate with1.5×104 cells/well. Lipofectamine™ 2000, mimic, and target gene 3′ UTR dual reporter vector were individually diluted for 5 min, mixed, and allowed to stand for 20 min. Then, 50 μL of culture medium was removed from each well, followed by an addition of 50 μL of the mixed solution. After 8 hours of incubation, culture medium in each well was substituted by 100 μL of fresh culture medium, and then, 100 μL of the lysis solution was applied for a complete cell lysis. Finally, samples were centrifuged, and supernatants were collected to measure the luciferase activity for each group.


### 2.8. Western Blot Analysis

Proteins were isolated with RIPA lysis buffer (Sigma, USA). The protein concentrations were measured by using the BCA assay kit (Beyotime, China) following the manufacturers’ instruction. Protein was separated by SDS-PAGE and then transferred to PVDF membranes. The membrane was blocked with 5% skimmed milk powder for 1.5 hours, washed with PBST for 3 times, and then incubated with the primary antibodies ADAM9 (1 : 1000 dilution, ab186833, Abcam, USA), PTEN (1 : 1000 dilution, ab170941, Abcam, USA), Bcl-2 (1 : 2000 dilution, ab182858, Abcam, USA), and Bax (1 : 1000 dilution, ab32503, Abcam, USA) at 4°C overnight. In the following day, the membrane was washed with PBST for three times and then incubated with the secondary antibodies for 2 h at room temperature. After washing with PBST three times, the membrane was subjected to the ECL detection system for determining the protein expression.β-Actin was used as an internal control.


### 2.9. Statistical Analysis

All experimental data were presented as themean±standarddeviation (SD), and the SPSS 21.0 software was employed to conduct statistical analysis. The independent two-sample t-test or one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to evaluate the difference between two groups or multiple groups. The q-SNK method was utilized to analyze statistical differences of pairwise comparisons among multiple groups. The P<0.05 was considered statistically significant.


## 2.1. Tissue Specimens

A total of 60 NSCLC tissues and corresponding nontumor adjacent lung tissues were obtained from NSCLC patients undergoing surgery in our hospital from January 2015 to December 2017. The NSCLC tissues were categorized as DDP-sensitive (sensitive group,n=15) or DDP-resistant (resistant group, n=15). This project was conducted with the ethical approval from the First People’s Hospital of Lianyungang City, and written informed consent was obtained from all patients prior to operation. Based on the time interval between the last dose of DDP and the diagnosis of recurrence, patients were classified as either DDP-sensitive or DDP-resistant cases; more than 6 months of the time interval indicates DPP sensitivity, while less than 6 months of the interval shows DDP resistance.


## 2.2. Cell Lines and Cell Transfection

The cell lines normal human bronchial epithelial cell BESA-2B, human lung adenocarcinoma cell A549, and H1650 were purchased from ATCC. miR-126-5p and corresponding negative mimics were prepared and transfected into DDP-resistant A459/DDP and H1650/DDP cells. The transfected cells were categorized as the following groups: mimics (transfection with miR-126-5p mimics), NC (transfection with mimic NC), miR-126-5p+con (transfection with negative control lentivirus for the overexpression and the mimics), and miR-126-5p+ADAM9 (transfection with ADAM9 overexpressed lentivirus and the mimics). Cells without transfection were set as a control (blank group).


## 2.3. qRT-PCR

The mRNA expression of miR-126-5p, ADAM9, and PTEN in tissues and cells was analyzed by using qRT-PCR. TRIzol reagents were utilized to extract total RNA from the samples, and then, RNA reverse transcription was carried out. Subsequently, SYBR Green-based real-time PCR was conducted using the following cycle parameters: 95°C for 3 min and then 40 cycles of 95°C for 15 s, 60°C for 1 min, and 72°C for 30 s. The primers used for qRT-PCR were as follows: miR-126-5p, forward 5′-GGTATAATCCGCCGCTTAGCTGCC-3′ and reverse 5′-GTGCAGGGTTGCAAGGT-3′; ADAM9, forward 5′-GTGTCCGGTGGTTGCTGT-3′ and reverse 5′-AATAGGGCCTAGGGGCTTCTC-3′; PTEN, forward 5′-TCCCAGACATGACAGCCATC-3′ and reverse 5′-TGCTTTGAATCCAAAAACCTTACT-3′; GAPDH, forward 5′-CTCTGCTCCTCCTGTTCGAC-3′ and reverse 5′-GCGCCCAATACGACCAAATC-3′; and U6, forward 5′-CTCGCTTCGGCAGCACA-3′ and reverse 5′-AACGCTTCACGAATTTGCGT-3′. The U6 or GAPDH was used as controls, respectively. Relative quantification of gene expression levels was performed using the 2−ΔΔCt method.


## 2.4. MTT Assay

The MTT assay was performed to measure the IC50 and proliferative rate of cells administered with DDP at the concentrations of 1, 10, 20, 40, 80, or 160μM in each group, particularly IC50 of cells treated with 80 μM DDP in the blank, mimics, mimics+con, and mimics+ADAM9 groups. The cells were plated into 96-well plates with 1×104 cells/well. For each group, three duplicate wells were used. After 3 days of culture, 2 μL of MTT solution was applied to each well and incubated for 4 h. Then, the culture media were aspirated and replaced by 150 mL DMSO. Finally, the absorbance values were determined at 492 nm by using a microplate spectrophotometer.


## 2.5. Colony Formation Assay

Cells were grown to a logarithmic growth phase, treated with trypsin digestion, and then mashed for preparing single-cell suspensions. After gradient dilution, cells were inoculated in dishes at a density of 50, 100, or 200 cells per dish in 10 mL culture medium prewarmed at 37°C, and gently rotated for an even distribution. Thereafter, the cells were cultured for 2-3 weeks until they formed visible clones. After the supernatants were removed, cell pellets were washed with PBS and fixed in 5 mL of 4% paraformaldehyde, followed by staining with appropriate amount of Giemsa stain for 10-30 min. Then, staining solutions were washed away gently with tap water, and the dishes were air-dried. Finally, the dishes were inverted and overlaid with the transparent film with grids. Those clones containing greater than 10 cells were counted in a light microscope (low magnification), and the rate of colony formation was determined. The assay was conducted in triplicate.


## 2.6. Flow Cytometry

Cells from each group were trypsin-digested, PBS-rinsed twice, and collected. Apoptotic cells were assayed by using the Annexin V-FITC Apoptosis Detection Kit (E. BioSoCion, USA). The cells were first subjected to staining with Annexin V-FITC and propidium iodide at RT and then analyzed using flow cytometry.


## 2.7. Dual-Luciferase Reporter Gene Assay

Cells (293T) were plated in a 96-well culture plate with1.5×104 cells/well. Lipofectamine™ 2000, mimic, and target gene 3′ UTR dual reporter vector were individually diluted for 5 min, mixed, and allowed to stand for 20 min. Then, 50 μL of culture medium was removed from each well, followed by an addition of 50 μL of the mixed solution. After 8 hours of incubation, culture medium in each well was substituted by 100 μL of fresh culture medium, and then, 100 μL of the lysis solution was applied for a complete cell lysis. Finally, samples were centrifuged, and supernatants were collected to measure the luciferase activity for each group.


## 2.8. Western Blot Analysis

Proteins were isolated with RIPA lysis buffer (Sigma, USA). The protein concentrations were measured by using the BCA assay kit (Beyotime, China) following the manufacturers’ instruction. Protein was separated by SDS-PAGE and then transferred to PVDF membranes. The membrane was blocked with 5% skimmed milk powder for 1.5 hours, washed with PBST for 3 times, and then incubated with the primary antibodies ADAM9 (1 : 1000 dilution, ab186833, Abcam, USA), PTEN (1 : 1000 dilution, ab170941, Abcam, USA), Bcl-2 (1 : 2000 dilution, ab182858, Abcam, USA), and Bax (1 : 1000 dilution, ab32503, Abcam, USA) at 4°C overnight. In the following day, the membrane was washed with PBST for three times and then incubated with the secondary antibodies for 2 h at room temperature. After washing with PBST three times, the membrane was subjected to the ECL detection system for determining the protein expression.β-Actin was used as an internal control.


## 2.9. Statistical Analysis

All experimental data were presented as themean±standarddeviation (SD), and the SPSS 21.0 software was employed to conduct statistical analysis. The independent two-sample t-test or one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to evaluate the difference between two groups or multiple groups. The q-SNK method was utilized to analyze statistical differences of pairwise comparisons among multiple groups. The P<0.05 was considered statistically significant.


## 3. Results

### 3.1. The Expression of miR-126-5p Correlates with the Sensitivity of NSCLC to DDP

As depicted in Figure1(a), a marked reduction in miR-126-5p expression was detected in NSCLC tissues as compared to normal counterparts (P<0.001). Likewise, markedly decreased expression of miR-126-5p was found in the sensitive group compared with the resistance group (P<0.001) (Figure 1(b)). In the meantime, we analyzed the expression of miR-126-5p in cell lines. As shown in Figure 1(c), the BESA-2B group displayed a significantly higher level of miR-126-5p than A549, A549/DDP, H1650, and H1650/DDP groups (Figure 1(c)). Moreover, a significantly reduced expression of miR-126-5p was identified in A549/DDP and H1650/DDP groups as compared to A549 and H1650 groups, respectively. Next, we employed the MTT assay to determine IC50 values of the cells. As shown in Figures 1(d)–1(f), markedly higher IC50 values were present in the A549/DDP group as compared to the A549 group, while the H1650/DDP group had significantly higher IC50 values than the H1650 group.Figure 1
A correlation between miR-126-5p expression and cisplatin sensitivity of NSCLC: (a) miR-126-5p levels in NSCLC tumor tissues (n=30) and the nontumor counterparts (n=30); (b) miR-126-5p levels in NSCLC sensitive (n=15) and resistance groups (n=15); (c) miR-126-5p levels in BESA-2B, A549, A549/DDP, H1650, and H1650/DDP groups; (d) MTT assay-based detection of IC50 values in A549 and A549/DDP groups; (e) MTT assay-based detection of IC50 values in H1650 and H1650/DDP groups; (f) quantitative and statistical analysis of IC50 for each group. ∗P<0.05, ∗∗P<0.01, and ∗∗∗P<0.001.
(a)(b)(c)(d)(e)(f)


### 3.2. miR-126-5p Promotes NSCLC Cell Apoptosis and Suppresses the Cell Proliferation through Inhibiting the PTEN/P13K/Akt Pathway

We first used qRT-PCR to assess the transfection efficiency. The qRT-PCR assay revealed that while no marked difference in the expression level of miR-126-5p was identified between blank and NC groups, the mimics group displayed a significantly higher level of miR-126-5p than both blank and NC groups (Figure2(a)). These data demonstrated that the miR-126-5p mimics were well expressed in the transfected cells and the mimics group could be used for subsequent studies. We next undertook a number of experiments based on the mimics group. As shown in Figures 2(b)–2(d), the MTT assay revealed significantly reduced cell proliferation in the mimics group as compared to the blank group, which was consistent with data obtained from the colony formation assay. Moreover, flow cytometry (Figure 2(e)) showed that DDP treatments caused markedly increased apoptosis in the mimics group in comparison with both blank and NC groups (P<0.01), albeit no significant difference in apoptosis was evident between blank and NC groups. Besides, the expression of key components within the PI3K/Akt pathway was analyzed using western blotting. Notably, there were no significant differences in PTEN expression and ratios of p-PI3K/PI3K and p-Akt/Akt between blank and NC groups, while a marked increase in PTEN level and a significant decline in ratios of p-PI3K/PI3K and p-Akt/Akt were identified in the mimics group compared with both blank and NC groups (Figure 2(f)). Collectively, these data suggested that overexpressed miR-126-5p downregulates NSCLC cell proliferation and increases DDP sensitivity presumably through upregulating PTEN and downregulating the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway.Figure 2
miR-126-5p increases NSCLC cell apoptosis and suppresses the cell proliferation through inhibiting the PTEN/PI3K/Akt pathway: (a) qRT-PCR-based detection of transfection efficiency of miR-126-5p mimics; (b) MTT assay-based detection of A549/DDP cell proliferation in blank, NC, and mimics groups; (c) MTT assay-based detection of H1650/DDP cell proliferation in the three groups; (d) colony formation assay-based detection of proliferation of the indicated cells in the three groups; (e) flow cytometry-based detection of apoptosis of the indicated cells in the three groups; (f) (left one and two) western blotting-based detection of PTEN expression and key components within the PI3K/Akt pathway in the indicated cells; (right one and two) quantification of the gray values of protein bands in the blots.∗P<0.05, ∗∗P<0.01, compared with the NC group.
(a)(b)(c)(d)(e)(f)


### 3.3. miR-126-5p Targets ADAM9 to Regulate Cisplatin Sensitivity in NSCLC

Given that ADAM9 mRNA harbors a miR-126-5p-binding sequence (Figure3(a)), we sought to investigate whether miR-126-5p functions through targeting ADAM9. As shown in Figure 3(b), a marked inhibition in luciferase activity of the ADAM9-WT vector was found in the mimics group compared with the NC group, whereas no significant difference in the case of the ADAM9-MUT vector was evident between the above two groups. Moreover, the qRT-PCR assay revealed that the resistance group had significantly higher level of ADAM9 mRNAs than the sensitive group (Figure 3(c)). Likewise, ADAM9 mRNA level was markedly elevated in each NSCLC cell line as compared to BESA-2B cells (Figure 3(d)). Meanwhile, significantly increased expression of ADAM9 mRNAs was detected in A549/DDP and H1650/DDP cells in comparison with their respective A549 and H1650 cells. In addition, while no significant difference in ADAM9 mRNA expression was present between blank and NC groups, a marked decrease in the expression was evident in the mimics group (P<0.01) (Figure 3(e)). Notably, western blotting demonstrated that overexpressed miR-126-5p led to a decline in ADAM9 level (Figure 3(f)). Taken together, we reasoned that miR-126-5p directly targets and downregulates ADAM9, while ADAM9 is inversely correlated with DDP sensitivity of NSCLC tumor cells.Figure 3
miR-126-5p targets ADAM9 to regulate cisplatin sensitivity in NSCLC: (a) ADAM9 mRNA harbors a miR-126-5p-binding sequence; (b) detection of luciferase activities of the reporter genes (∗∗P<0.01); (c) qRT-PCR detected the mRNA expression of ADAM9 in sensitive and resistance groups (∗∗∗P<0.001); (d) qRT-PCR detected the expression of ADAM9 in NSCLC cell lines (∗P<0.05, ∗∗P<0.01); (e) detection of ADAM9 mRNAs in the mimics group; (f) (left) western blotting-based detection of the protein expression in the mimics group and (right) quantitative analysis of the gray value of protein bands in the blot (∗∗P<0.01 vs. NC group).
(a)(b)(c)(d)(e)(f)


### 3.4. miR-126-5p Promotes Cisplatin Sensitivity in NSCLC and Apoptosis and Reduces Cell Viability via ADAM9

We further analyzed the IC50 for DDP, proliferation rate, and apoptosis rate of the cells in miR-126-5p+con and miR-126-5p+ADAM9 groups using the MTT assay, colony formation assay, and flow cytometry, respectively. The MTT assay showed that the miR-126-5p+con group displayed significantly lower values of IC50 for DDP than the blank group (P<0.05) (Figures 4(a)–4(c)). Meanwhile, we observed a marked decrease in proliferative rates in the miR-126-5p+con group (P<0.05) but a significant increase in the miR-126-5p+ADAM9 group (P<0.05) in comparison with the blank group (Figure 4(d)). Strikingly, flow cytometry validated that ADAM9 overexpression eliminated apoptosis-promoting effects of miR-126-5p (Figure 4(e)). Altogether, the above findings further implied that miR-126-5p-mediated inhibition of cell proliferation and promotion of DDP sensitivity could be reversed by ADAM9 overexpression.Figure 4
miR-126-5p promotes cisplatin sensitivity of NSCLC cells and apoptosis and reduces cell viability via ADAM9: (a, b) MTT assay-based detection of IC50 for cisplatin in miR-126-5+con and miR-126-5p+ADAM9 groups; (c) quantitative analysis of IC50 for cisplatin in the indicated cells; (d) colony formation assay-based detection of the proliferation of the indicated cells in the two groups; (e) flow cytometry-based detection of apoptosis in the indicated cells in the two groups.
(a)(b)(c)(d)(e)


### 3.5. miR-126-5p Affects the PTEN/PI3K/Akt Signaling Pathway via ADAM9

We then examined the protein expression of key components within the PTEN/PI3K/Akt pathway in A549/DDP and H1650/DDP cells of miR-126-5p+con and miR-126-5p+ADAM9 groups. As depicted in Figure5, a significant increase in PTEN expression and markedly lower ratios of p-PI3K/PI3K and p-Akt/Akt were detected in the miR-126-5p+con group in comparison with the blank group, while decreased PTEN and higher ratios of p-PI3K/PI3K and p-Akt/Akt were identified in the miR-126-5p+ADAM9 group as compared to the miR-126-5p+con group. The above observations implied that miR-126-5p affects the PTEN/PI3K/Akt pathway presumably via ADAM9.Figure 5
miR-126-5p affects the PTEN/PI3K/Akt pathway via ADAM9. The key components in the indicated cells of the two miR-126-5p groups were measured by western blotting.&P<0.05 vs. miR-126-5p+con group; ∗∗P<0.01 vs. blank group.


## 3.1. The Expression of miR-126-5p Correlates with the Sensitivity of NSCLC to DDP

As depicted in Figure1(a), a marked reduction in miR-126-5p expression was detected in NSCLC tissues as compared to normal counterparts (P<0.001). Likewise, markedly decreased expression of miR-126-5p was found in the sensitive group compared with the resistance group (P<0.001) (Figure 1(b)). In the meantime, we analyzed the expression of miR-126-5p in cell lines. As shown in Figure 1(c), the BESA-2B group displayed a significantly higher level of miR-126-5p than A549, A549/DDP, H1650, and H1650/DDP groups (Figure 1(c)). Moreover, a significantly reduced expression of miR-126-5p was identified in A549/DDP and H1650/DDP groups as compared to A549 and H1650 groups, respectively. Next, we employed the MTT assay to determine IC50 values of the cells. As shown in Figures 1(d)–1(f), markedly higher IC50 values were present in the A549/DDP group as compared to the A549 group, while the H1650/DDP group had significantly higher IC50 values than the H1650 group.Figure 1
A correlation between miR-126-5p expression and cisplatin sensitivity of NSCLC: (a) miR-126-5p levels in NSCLC tumor tissues (n=30) and the nontumor counterparts (n=30); (b) miR-126-5p levels in NSCLC sensitive (n=15) and resistance groups (n=15); (c) miR-126-5p levels in BESA-2B, A549, A549/DDP, H1650, and H1650/DDP groups; (d) MTT assay-based detection of IC50 values in A549 and A549/DDP groups; (e) MTT assay-based detection of IC50 values in H1650 and H1650/DDP groups; (f) quantitative and statistical analysis of IC50 for each group. ∗P<0.05, ∗∗P<0.01, and ∗∗∗P<0.001.
(a)(b)(c)(d)(e)(f)


## 3.2. miR-126-5p Promotes NSCLC Cell Apoptosis and Suppresses the Cell Proliferation through Inhibiting the PTEN/P13K/Akt Pathway

We first used qRT-PCR to assess the transfection efficiency. The qRT-PCR assay revealed that while no marked difference in the expression level of miR-126-5p was identified between blank and NC groups, the mimics group displayed a significantly higher level of miR-126-5p than both blank and NC groups (Figure2(a)). These data demonstrated that the miR-126-5p mimics were well expressed in the transfected cells and the mimics group could be used for subsequent studies. We next undertook a number of experiments based on the mimics group. As shown in Figures 2(b)–2(d), the MTT assay revealed significantly reduced cell proliferation in the mimics group as compared to the blank group, which was consistent with data obtained from the colony formation assay. Moreover, flow cytometry (Figure 2(e)) showed that DDP treatments caused markedly increased apoptosis in the mimics group in comparison with both blank and NC groups (P<0.01), albeit no significant difference in apoptosis was evident between blank and NC groups. Besides, the expression of key components within the PI3K/Akt pathway was analyzed using western blotting. Notably, there were no significant differences in PTEN expression and ratios of p-PI3K/PI3K and p-Akt/Akt between blank and NC groups, while a marked increase in PTEN level and a significant decline in ratios of p-PI3K/PI3K and p-Akt/Akt were identified in the mimics group compared with both blank and NC groups (Figure 2(f)). Collectively, these data suggested that overexpressed miR-126-5p downregulates NSCLC cell proliferation and increases DDP sensitivity presumably through upregulating PTEN and downregulating the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway.Figure 2
miR-126-5p increases NSCLC cell apoptosis and suppresses the cell proliferation through inhibiting the PTEN/PI3K/Akt pathway: (a) qRT-PCR-based detection of transfection efficiency of miR-126-5p mimics; (b) MTT assay-based detection of A549/DDP cell proliferation in blank, NC, and mimics groups; (c) MTT assay-based detection of H1650/DDP cell proliferation in the three groups; (d) colony formation assay-based detection of proliferation of the indicated cells in the three groups; (e) flow cytometry-based detection of apoptosis of the indicated cells in the three groups; (f) (left one and two) western blotting-based detection of PTEN expression and key components within the PI3K/Akt pathway in the indicated cells; (right one and two) quantification of the gray values of protein bands in the blots.∗P<0.05, ∗∗P<0.01, compared with the NC group.
(a)(b)(c)(d)(e)(f)


## 3.3. miR-126-5p Targets ADAM9 to Regulate Cisplatin Sensitivity in NSCLC

Given that ADAM9 mRNA harbors a miR-126-5p-binding sequence (Figure3(a)), we sought to investigate whether miR-126-5p functions through targeting ADAM9. As shown in Figure 3(b), a marked inhibition in luciferase activity of the ADAM9-WT vector was found in the mimics group compared with the NC group, whereas no significant difference in the case of the ADAM9-MUT vector was evident between the above two groups. Moreover, the qRT-PCR assay revealed that the resistance group had significantly higher level of ADAM9 mRNAs than the sensitive group (Figure 3(c)). Likewise, ADAM9 mRNA level was markedly elevated in each NSCLC cell line as compared to BESA-2B cells (Figure 3(d)). Meanwhile, significantly increased expression of ADAM9 mRNAs was detected in A549/DDP and H1650/DDP cells in comparison with their respective A549 and H1650 cells. In addition, while no significant difference in ADAM9 mRNA expression was present between blank and NC groups, a marked decrease in the expression was evident in the mimics group (P<0.01) (Figure 3(e)). Notably, western blotting demonstrated that overexpressed miR-126-5p led to a decline in ADAM9 level (Figure 3(f)). Taken together, we reasoned that miR-126-5p directly targets and downregulates ADAM9, while ADAM9 is inversely correlated with DDP sensitivity of NSCLC tumor cells.Figure 3
miR-126-5p targets ADAM9 to regulate cisplatin sensitivity in NSCLC: (a) ADAM9 mRNA harbors a miR-126-5p-binding sequence; (b) detection of luciferase activities of the reporter genes (∗∗P<0.01); (c) qRT-PCR detected the mRNA expression of ADAM9 in sensitive and resistance groups (∗∗∗P<0.001); (d) qRT-PCR detected the expression of ADAM9 in NSCLC cell lines (∗P<0.05, ∗∗P<0.01); (e) detection of ADAM9 mRNAs in the mimics group; (f) (left) western blotting-based detection of the protein expression in the mimics group and (right) quantitative analysis of the gray value of protein bands in the blot (∗∗P<0.01 vs. NC group).
(a)(b)(c)(d)(e)(f)


## 3.4. miR-126-5p Promotes Cisplatin Sensitivity in NSCLC and Apoptosis and Reduces Cell Viability via ADAM9

We further analyzed the IC50 for DDP, proliferation rate, and apoptosis rate of the cells in miR-126-5p+con and miR-126-5p+ADAM9 groups using the MTT assay, colony formation assay, and flow cytometry, respectively. The MTT assay showed that the miR-126-5p+con group displayed significantly lower values of IC50 for DDP than the blank group (P<0.05) (Figures 4(a)–4(c)). Meanwhile, we observed a marked decrease in proliferative rates in the miR-126-5p+con group (P<0.05) but a significant increase in the miR-126-5p+ADAM9 group (P<0.05) in comparison with the blank group (Figure 4(d)). Strikingly, flow cytometry validated that ADAM9 overexpression eliminated apoptosis-promoting effects of miR-126-5p (Figure 4(e)). Altogether, the above findings further implied that miR-126-5p-mediated inhibition of cell proliferation and promotion of DDP sensitivity could be reversed by ADAM9 overexpression.Figure 4
miR-126-5p promotes cisplatin sensitivity of NSCLC cells and apoptosis and reduces cell viability via ADAM9: (a, b) MTT assay-based detection of IC50 for cisplatin in miR-126-5+con and miR-126-5p+ADAM9 groups; (c) quantitative analysis of IC50 for cisplatin in the indicated cells; (d) colony formation assay-based detection of the proliferation of the indicated cells in the two groups; (e) flow cytometry-based detection of apoptosis in the indicated cells in the two groups.
(a)(b)(c)(d)(e)


## 3.5. miR-126-5p Affects the PTEN/PI3K/Akt Signaling Pathway via ADAM9

We then examined the protein expression of key components within the PTEN/PI3K/Akt pathway in A549/DDP and H1650/DDP cells of miR-126-5p+con and miR-126-5p+ADAM9 groups. As depicted in Figure5, a significant increase in PTEN expression and markedly lower ratios of p-PI3K/PI3K and p-Akt/Akt were detected in the miR-126-5p+con group in comparison with the blank group, while decreased PTEN and higher ratios of p-PI3K/PI3K and p-Akt/Akt were identified in the miR-126-5p+ADAM9 group as compared to the miR-126-5p+con group. The above observations implied that miR-126-5p affects the PTEN/PI3K/Akt pathway presumably via ADAM9.Figure 5
miR-126-5p affects the PTEN/PI3K/Akt pathway via ADAM9. The key components in the indicated cells of the two miR-126-5p groups were measured by western blotting.&P<0.05 vs. miR-126-5p+con group; ∗∗P<0.01 vs. blank group.


## 4. Discussion

NSCLC patients diagnosed at an advanced stage have lost the opportunity for surgery and routinely receive standardized chemotherapy. DDP has become one of the most important drugs commonly used in SCLC chemotherapy [27]. However, development of drug resistance due to repeated DDP administration could undermine its therapeutic effects in most tumors. As a result, to overcome resistance or cross-resistance to platinum antitumor drugs for improving DDP sensitivity of tumor tissues and cells would be vitally important in guiding the clinical treatment of lung cancer. As noncoding endogenous small RNA molecules of around 20-24 nucleotides, miRNAs regulate the expression of a single protein and the whole proteome by directly targeting pre-mRNA regulatory factors, playing a vital role in numerous cellular and biological processes, such as cell growth, differentiation, apoptosis, and lipid metabolism regulation [28, 29]. In recent years, it has been found that miRNAs act in the development of drug resistance in tumors by regulating gene expression in different manners [8]. At present, regulated miRNA expression has been shown to impact the therapeutic sensitivity to DDP, including upregulated miR-21, miR-106a, miR-34a, and miR-15b, as well as reduced miR-214 regulated by the PTEN/Akt pathway [30]. Here, we sought to investigate the molecular mechanism underlying the effect of miR-126-5p on DDP sensitivity of NSCLC tumor cells and found that miR-126-5p remarkably enhances the DDP sensitivity through regulating ADAM9.miRNAs bind to the target genes, inducing mRNA translational repression or degradation [31]. The dual-luciferase reporter gene assay in this study showed that miR-126-5p binds to 3′ UTR of ADAM9 mRNA to negatively regulate ADAM9 expression, identifying ADAM9 as a putative miR-126-5p target. Meanwhile, the qRT-PCR assay revealed that while miR-126-5p expression was markedly reduced in the tumor group, the mRNA level of ADAM9 was significantly increased. Moreover, we observed lower miR-126-5p level and markedly higher level of ADAM9 mRNAs in A549, A549/DDP, H1650, and H1650/DDP groups compared with the BESA-2B group; there were greater differences between A549/DDP and H1650/DDP groups. These data provided a causal link between miR-126-5p downregulation and increased level of ADAM9 mRNAs, suggestive of ADAM9 as a miR-126-5p target in NSCLC.Besides, we found that the mimics group displayed a significantly lower proliferation rate and apoptosis rate than the blank group. Hence, it was inferred that expression of miR-126-5p mimics enhanced DDP sensitivity of those cells, while remarkably increasing the cytotoxicity of DDP to A549/DDP and H1650/DDP cells. In the meantime, we showed that significantly reduced IC50 values for DDP were detected in the mimics group compared with the blank and NC groups, providing consistent data with the above observation. Moreover, the miR-126-5p+ADAM9 group displayed a significantly higher IC50 than the miR-126-5p+con group, indicating decreased sensitivity to DDP. All these results provided evidence that upregulated ADAM9 could underlie the drug resistance developed in lung cancer.The PI3K/Akt signaling pathway is an important signal transduction pathway, and it has been reported to play an important role in inhibiting cell apoptosis and promoting cell proliferation. Zhang et al. [32] confirmed that cedrol could induce apoptosis of NSCLC cells by inhibiting the activity of the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway. Subsequently, studies have also shown that α-bisabolol could inhibit the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway to inhibit the proliferation, migration, and invasion of A549 cells [33]. As the first tumor suppressor with a phosphatase activity, PTEN inhibits growth, angiogenesis, cell adhesion, and metastasis, while promoting apoptosis and participating in cell cycle regulation [34]. Some studies have shown that miRNA can participate in the progression of bladder cancer [35], breast cancer [36], and myeloma [37] by regulating the PTEN/PI3K/Akt signaling pathway. It has been shown that the PTEN gene might be implicated in the development of DDP resistance [38]. However, whether miR-126-5p increases the sensitivity of NSCLC cells to DDP is through the PTEN/PI3K/Akt signaling pathway. In this experiment, we confirmed that the PTEN/PI3K/Akt signaling pathway activity was inhibited when miR-126-5p was overexpressed in A549/DDP and H1650/DDP. Moreover, overexpression of ADAM9 could relieve the inhibitory effect of miR-126-5p on the PTEN/PI3K/Akt signaling pathway.In summary, we speculate that miR-126-5p can inhibit the activity of the PTEN/PI3K/Akt signaling pathway by targeting ADAM9 and improve the sensitivity of clinical cisplatin in the treatment of non-small-cell lung cancer.



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*Source: 6622342-2021-05-17.xml*