miR-452-3p Targets Adenomatous Polyposis Coli to Regulate the Malignant Phenotypes and Prognosis of Esophageal Cancer

Abstract

Background/Aims: Esophageal cancer is a common malignancy of the digestive tract worldwide, with extremely poor prognosis in advanced stages. miR-452-3p regulates multiple tumors and may contribute to the development and progression of esophageal cancer. The current study aims to examine the correlation between miR-452-3p expression and prognosis in esophageal cancer and further investigate the potential molecular mechanisms by which miR-452-3p regulates the malignant phenotype of esophageal cancer cells.

Materials and Methods: A total of 155 pairs of esophageal cancer tissues and adjacent normal tissue samples were collected. Reverse Transcription Quantitative PCR was used to detect the expression levels of miR-452-3p and adenomatous polyposis coli (APC). Survival analyses were performed using Kaplan–Meier and Cox regression analyses. The effects of miR-452-3p on the biological behavior of esophageal cancer cells were assessed through in vitro experiments. Additionally, dual luciferase reporter gene assays and rescue experiments were performed to confirm the regulatory relationship between miR-452-3p and APC.

Results: The miR-452-3p expression is upregulated in esophageal cancer. Elevated miR 452-3p expression is closely related to the clinical pathological characteristics and poor prognosis of esophageal cancer and serves as an independent prognostic risk factor. Functional experiments demonstrate that miR-452-3p overexpression enhances the malignant biological behavior of esophageal cancer cells. miR-452-3p directly targets APC. Silencing APC reverses the inhibitory effect of miR-452-3p inhibitor on the malignant phenotype.

Conclusion: miR-452-3p promotes esophageal cancer progression by targeting APC, and patients with low levels of miR-452-3p exhibit favorable prognosis.

Cite this article as: Lin D, Xie Y, Song Y, He M, Huang X. miR-452-3p targets adenomatous polyposis coli to regulate the malignant phenotypes and prognosis of esophageal cancer. Turk J Gastroenterol. 2026;37(7):749-756.