All mice were housed in accordance with institutional guidelines. be targeted to manage metastatic PNETs. Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PNETs) represent one-third of gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors and are the second malignancy of the pancreas. The 5-year survival rate is usually approximately 55% when the tumors are localized and resected, but only approximately 15% when the tumors are not resectable.1 However, PNETs often display an indolent phenotype, resulting in late diagnosis at advanced stages when surgical resection with curative intent is no longer an alternative.2,3 Sunitinib (a multitargeted protein tyrosine kinase inhibitor), everolimus (a mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitor), and lutetium Lu 177 dotatate (a radioactive peptide targeted to somatostatin receptor) are approved for the treatment of unresectable and progressive or metastatic PNETs.2,4,5 All three drugs have their limitations. Both sunitinib and everolimus only extend median survival of PNET patients by approximately 6 months, and all patients developed resistance for both drugs.4,6 Lutetium Lu 177 dotatate can only be used for tumors expressing somatostatin receptors. As the incidences of PNETs are increasing,7 a better understanding of the mechanisms that underline PNET metastasis is usually vitally needed to improve therapeutic options. miRNAs are small RNAs that regulate the expression of complementary messenger RNAs and play multiple roles LNP023 in cellular functions, LNP023 including cell growth, differentiation, and development.8 Metastasis promoter miRNAs9 and suppressor miRNAs10 were first discovered in breast cancer. Subsequent studies revealed more miRNAs with functions in tumorigenesis and metastasis of other cancer types. A cross-species study of miRNAs has identified stage-specific miRNA expression signatures in human PNETs and the (is one of the up-regulated miRNAs in the metastasis-specific miRNA signature.11 However, the role of during PNET tumorigenesis is unknown. In LNP023 this study, we aim to determine whether contributes to PNET metastasis. Materials and Methods Cloning miRNA into Replication Qualified Avian Leukosis Virus Long Terminal Repeat with a Splice, Gene (RCASBP or RCABP) Vectors RCASBP-Y-DEST has been described.13 After KpnI site was added before pCMV and the first BamHI site was destroyed in pcDNA6.2 GW-vector,14 the pCMV-part was subcloned from the modified pcDNA6.2 GW-vector into pENTR3C using KpnI and XhoI sites. PCR-generated was cloned into pENTR3C-GFP-lacZ using and pENTR3C-pCMV-and RCASBP-and N134/were generated following previously described procedure.18 QGP1 cell line was kindly provided by Chris Harris (Rutgers University Cancer Institute of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ).19,20 QGP1 cells were infected with viruses carrying thymidine LNP023 kinase/green fluorescent protein (GFP)/luciferase fusion reporter,21 which was kindly provided by Drs. Inna Serganova and Ronald?Blasberg (Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY). GFP+ N134/cells by Lipofectamine 3000 (Invitrogen) following the instructions of the manufacturer. Forty-eight hours after transfection, cells were either used for the invasion assay described below or lysed in radioimmunoprecipitation assay buffer (50 mmol/L Tris, pH 7.4, 150 mmol/L NaCl, 1% NP-40, and 0.5% sodium deoxycholate) supplemented with a protease inhibitor mixture and PhosSTOP (Roche, Pleasanton, CA) for Western blot analysis. DF1 and N134 cells were cultured in Dulbecco’s modified Eagle’s medium (DMEM) supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum (FBS), 0.2 mmol/L l-glutamine, and 1% penicillin/streptomycin. QGP1 cells were cultured in RPMI-1640 medium supplemented with 10% FBS, 0.2 mmol/L l-glutamine, and 1% penicillin/streptomycin. DNA synthesis was measured by Click-iT Plus EdU Alexa Fluor 647 Flow Cytometry Assay Kit (Invitrogen), according to the manufacturer’s protocol. Two miRCURY LNA Power miRNA inhibitors (Qiagen/Exiqon, Germantown, MD) were number 4103450102 for (sequence: 5-GCATGACGGCCTGCAAGAC-3) and unfavorable control A, number 199006102 (sequence: 5-TAACACGTCTATACGCCCA-3). Analysis of miRNA Rabbit Polyclonal to API-5 and mRNA Expression For miRNA analyses, total RNA was extracted from various.