Abstract

MicroRNAs are emerging as a prominent force in cancer biology research due to recent evidence that they possess significant roles in regulating the cell and may even act as tumor suppressors in many cases. More specifically, microRNA-34a (miR-34a) has recently been shown to interact with different molecules in order to prevent cancer formation. We believe miR-34a plays a role in the regulation of androgen receptor (AR) and Notch signaling which is critical for cancer progression. We evaluated miR-34a’s effects by overexpressing and underexpressing it in different PCa cell lines in order to determine the effects miR-34a has on AR, prostate specific agent (PSA), and Notch-1. We found that the overexpression of miR-34a leaded to reduction of AR along with Notch-1. Moreover, we found that the induction of miR-34a significantly inhibited proliferation of the prostate cancer cell lines. These findings indicate that miR-34a is directly linked to the down-regulation of AR and Notch-1 both of which play significant roles when highly expressed in the formation of prostate cancer and metastasis. Thus, the exploration of miR-34a is critical and can lead to new therapeutic treatments for prostate cancer patients.