Hsa-miR-424 by targeting APC increases Wnt signaling activates in colorectal cancer

The activity of Wnt signaling pathway is increased in colorectal cancer. For this reason, finding new positive and negative regulators for this pathway is a treatment and diagnostic strategy of colorectal cancer. Our bioinformatics analysis indicated that hsa-miR-424 (miR-424) could be a possible regulator of the Wnt signaling pathway. Accordingly, the expression level of miR-424 in colorectal cancer tissues was elevated compared with normal pairs and the results of RT-qPCR showed a significant increase in miR-424 expression (p < 0.01). Then, molecular analyzes using Top/Fop Flash and RT-qPCR techniques indicated that miR-424 overexpression leads to increased Wnt pathway activity in the SW480 cell line. In addition, the small molecules IWP-2 and PNU-74654 were used to inhibit the Wnt signaling pathway, and the miR-424 overexpression suggested that exert its effect on the level of β-catenin complex degradation. Then, dual-luciferase assay validated the interaction between miR-424 and APC. Overall, our results suggest miR-424 is a positive regulator of the Wnt signaling pathway, and it could be a possible prognosis for colorectal cancer.