Estrogen receptor knock down therapy using microRNA for breast cancer patients

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Several microRNAs(miRNAs) that directly target ERα have been identified. In this study, expression levels of miRNAs that directly target ERα, including miR-18a, miR-18b, miR-22, miR-193b, miR-206, miR-221/222 and miR-302c, were analyzed in human breast cancer samples by quantitative reverse transcription-PCR analysis. Correlations between the expression levels of these miRNAs and clinicopathological factors were analyzed. miR-18a expression was much higher in ERα-negative than in ERα-positive tumors, with the expression levels of miR-18a not differing in ERα-positive breast cancer as a function of ERαprotein level. Surprisingly, the expression levels of miR-193b and miR-221 were significantly lower in ERα-negative than in ERα-positive tumors, and the levels of these miRNAs gradually increased as ERα protein expression increased. Our results suggest that miR-206 could be a novel candidate for endocrine therapy that targets only ERα in breast cancer.