Mechanisms of miR-195-5p and FOXK1 in rat xenograft models of non-small cell lung cancer

Objective: To investigate the roles and mechanisms of miR-195-5p and forkhead box K1 (FOXK1) in rat xenograft models of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods: Rat xenograft models of NSCLC were established. Evaluations of morphology of NSCLC cells and levels of Ki67 and P53 were detected by hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining and immunohistochemistry (IHC), respectively. The miR-195-5p level in NSCLC was measured by quantitative real-time RT-PCR (qRT-PCR), and FOXK1, Bax, Caspase-3 and Bal-2 levels were quantified by Western blot. And the regulatory relation between miR-195-5p and FOXK1 was determined by dual-luciferase reporter (DLR) assay. Results: HE staining and IHC demonstrated successful establishment of NSCLC models in which miR-195-5p was downregulated and FOXK1 was upregulated. Pearson correlation showed that miR-195-5p and FOXK1 were inversely associated (r=0.551, P=0.012). DLR assay confirmed the targeted regulatory relation between miR-195-5p and FOXK1, and upregulation of miR-195-5p accelerated apoptosis of tumor cells. Conclusion: miR-195-5p is inversely associated with FOXK1 in NSCLC in rats. Upregulation of miR-195-5p suppresses FOXK1 and accelerates apoptosis of tumor cells, which may serve as an therapeutic target for the treatment of NSCLC.