MTDH knockdown showed similar tumour-suppressive roles as miR-433 overexpression in regards to cervical cancer cell proliferation, invasion and apoptosis.
Further studies have identified astrocyte-elevated gene-1 (AEG-1) as a direct target gene of miR-124. miR-124 downregulated AEG-1 expression through interaction with its 3'-untranslated regions (3'-UTRs), and miR-124 expression was inversely correlated with AEG-1 levels in CC specimens.
However, the mechanisms underlying the chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 20 (CCL20)/chemokine (C-C motif) receptor 6 (CCR6)-AEG-1 pathway-mediated EMT in cervical cancer (CC) have not been well featured till now.
These results indicate that MTDH affects the radiosensitivity of cervical cancer cells and that MTDH may be a novel target to improve cervical cancer radiation response.