GABPα targeted by miR-378a-5p inhibits the growth and angiogenesis of colorectal carcinoma

Considering the high degree of malignancy, recurrence rate and poor prognosis, exploring promising targets is an imperious strategy for colorectal carcinoma therapy. Recent studies have indicated that GABP alpha plays a role in cancer aggressiveness, but its exact function and regulatory mechanisms in colorectal cancer progression remain unclear. This study aims to explore the biological role of GABP alpha and its upstream regulator, miR-378a-5p, in modulating cancer progression. The expression levels of GABP alpha and miR-378a-5p were analyzed through comprehensive data mining and qPCR assays. The functional effects of GABP alpha were assessed using CCK-8, wound healing, transwell invasion assay, tube formation and xenograft model in nude mice. A co-transfection assay was also performed to investigate the regulatory relationship between miR-378a-5p and GABP alpha. We found that GABP alpha expression was significantly downregulated in human colorectal cancer tissues and cell lines. Functional assays revealed that GABP alpha overexpression suppressed the proliferation, migration, invasion and angiogenesis of colorectal cancer cells, and in vivo experiments further confirmed the inhibitory role of GABP alpha. Additionally, miR-378a-5p was upregulated in colorectal cancer, and GABP alpha was identified as a direct target of miR-378a-5p, as confirmed by luciferase reporter assays. Furthermore, overexpression of GABP alpha partially counteracted the enhanced malignant behaviors of cancer cells induced by miR-378a-5p. Our findings suggest that miR-378a-5p promotes the aggressive progression of colorectal cancer by directly targeting GABP alpha, highlighting this regulatory axis as a potential therapeutic target for colorectal carcinoma.