MicroRNA-203 inhibits the progression of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma with restored epithelial tissue architecture in vivo

MicroRNA (miR)-203 has been shown to induce squamous differentiation of epidermal stem cells through the suppression of p63. The aim of this study was to assess the tumor suppressor effect of miR-203 in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) with focus on the regulation of the cell fate decisions and organization of tumor tissue architecture in vivo. Our investigation establishing stable clones from ESCC cell lines with induced miR-203 expression resulted in significant growth inhibition in a mouse xenograft model. Small foci were observed in xenograft tumors with stratified squamous differentiation in conjunction with restored baso-apical polarity. The expression of the basement membrane protein laminine was localized at the center of the foci and the basal cell marker p75NTR was expressed in the innermost layer. The expression of ki67 and p63 was co-localized at the center layers, while involucrin was expressed in the outer layers. Flow cytometry revealed that the p75NTR-positive cells expressing p63 and Bmi1 were well maintained, while the expression of p63 was suppressed in the p75NTR-negative cells. Our cDNA microarray analysis demonstrated the upregulation of genes involved in regulating tissue architecture, such as BMP-4 and ZO-1 in the mir-203 transfectant. Investigation using surgically removed ESCC specimens revealed that the expression of miR-203 significantly correlated with a favorable prognosis. These results demonstrated that miR-203 regulated both basal and supra-basal cell components to induce differentiation with restored epithelial tissue architecture, leading to significant tumor growth inhibition in vivo. Those results suggest the use of miR-203 as a novel therapeutic and diagnostic target in patients with ESCC.