MicroRNA let-7 downregulates STAT3 phosphorylation cancer cells by increasing SOCS3 expression

Although dispensable for normal pancreatic function, STAT3 signaling is frequently activated in pancreatic cancers. Consistent downregulation of expression of microRNA let-7 is also characteristic of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) biopsy specimens. We demonstrate in this study that re-expression of let-7 in poorly-differentiated PDAC cell lines reduced phosphorylation/activation of STAT3 and its downstream signaling events and reduced the growth and migration of PDAC cells. Let-7 re-expression did not repress expression of STAT3 protein or its activator cytokine interleukin 6 (IL-6). However, let-7 re-expression enhanced cytoplasmic expression of suppressor of cytokine signaling 3 (SOCS3), which blocks STAT3 activation by JAK2. Our study thus identified a mechanism by which STAT3 signaling can be inhibited in pancreatic cancer cells by modifying let-7 expression. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.