Evaluation of the expression level of miR-143 and CXCR4 receptor after silencing Snail-1 gene expression by siRNA in metastatic breast cancer cells

Abstract

Many studies have shown that miRNAs can silence the genes involved in the growth and invasion of cancer cells. However, the exact effect of miRNAs on the expression of Snail-1 CXCR4 and miRNA-143 genes is not entirely clear in breast cancer cells. Therefore, the present study investigated the effects of siRNA on Snail-1, CXCR4 and miRNA-143 in breast cancer cells in vitro. In this experimental-laboratory study, MDA-MB-468 breast cancer cells were transfected by the specific siRNA of the Snail-1 gene. The expression levels of Snail-1 CXCR4 and miR-143 genes were evaluated by qRT-PCR. Cell proliferation was assessed by the trypan blue test. Data were analyzed using a student’s t-test. Transfecting the MDA-MB-468 breast cancer cells by specific siRNA significantly decreased the expression level of Snail-1 gene CXCR4 and significantly increased the expression of miR-143 (p < 0.05). The results of this study showed that knocking down diagnostic markers of breast cancer cells by specific siRNA can successfully reduce the proliferation and invasion of breast cancer cells.