Figure 3

MiR-205 down-regulates PTEN expression and leads to activation of the AKT pathway. (A) PTEN mRNA levels were measured by qRT-PCR. Relative PTEN mRNA levels were significantly decreased in miR-205 mimic-transfected cells compared with the NC miRNA group (p = 0.009). (B, C) A western blot analysis of PTEN protein levels and its downstream substrate (p-AKT, AKT, p53 and BCL-2) protein levels in Ishikawa cells transfected with miR-205 mimics. The blots were stripped and reprobed with β-actin as a loading control. The enhanced expression of miR-205 reduced PTEN protein levels, and the AKT pathway was significantly regulated compared with the NC miRNA group (p-AKT, p = 0.004, p53, p = 0.02, BCL-2, p = 0.002). The mean intensity of the band was quantified using Image J software. (normal: non-treated cells; lipo2000: cells only treated with lipo2000; NC miRNA: cells transfected with negative control miRNA + lipo2000; miR-205 mimics: cells transfected with miR-205 mimics + lipo2000).