Is miR-10a a tumor suppressor that modulates proliferation and invasion in high-grade bladder cancer?

Bladder Cancer (BC) is one of the most commonly diagnosed malignancies worldwide, with high rates of mortality and morbidity. It can be classified as non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) or muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC), with radical cystectomy being the treatment for MIBC, which significantly reduces quality of life. MicroRNAs (miRs) act as critical genetic regulators, with both oncogenic and tumor-suppressive roles. MiR-10a is described as a tumor suppressor in various neoplasms, but its role in BC is controversial. This study aims to assess the activity of miR-10a in cellular invasion and proliferation in two distinct BC cell lines.

The study used high-grade T24 and low-grade RT4 bladder cell lines. Cells were transfected with miR-10a mimic or a non-targeting control. Transfection efficiency was validated by qPCR. Cell proliferation was cultured for 10–14 days. Cell migration and invasion were evaluated using Matrigel. All assays were conducted in triplicate.

The T24 cells transfected with miR-10a presented decreased cellular proliferation and invasion compared to the Scramble (p = 0.0481 and p < 0.0001, respectively). In the RT4 cell line, there was only a significant reduction in cellular proliferation after miR-10a transfection (p = 0.0029). Conclusions: Our findings suggest that miR-10a has a tumoral suppressor role in BC, demonstrating higher efficacy in high-grade cells.