Fig. 4

The effects of leptin and insulin on miR-4443 and NCOA1/TRAF4 are likely mediated by the MAPK pathway. a–b RT-qPCR for miR-4443 (a), or human NCOA1 and TRAF4 mRNAs (b), in HCT-116 cells, pre-incubated for 45 min, with or without a MEK inhibitor, PD-98059, an inhibitor of MEK activity (dissolved in DMSO) (10 μM), before being exposed to leptin (100 ng/ml) or insulin (20 ng/ml) for 24 h. Controls included the appropriate concentration of DMSO (less than 0.1 %), PD alone and leptin or insulin alone. *p < 0.05, significantly different from N/T, t-test; NS – not significantly different from N/T; bars: SD from triplicates. c Scheme, proposed mechanism of miR-4443-mediated signaling downstream of leptin and insulin