LAUSR

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play an important role in drug resistance and modulate the efficiency of chemotherapy. A recent study indicated that miR-340 functions as a tumor suppressor in various types of cancer. However, the role of miR-340 in chemotherapy has not been reported yet. In this study, we found that miR-340 enhanced cisplatin (CDDP)-induced cell death. Induction of miR-340-5p expression decreased the IC50 of CDDP and increased the apoptosis of CDDP-resistant MG-63 and Saos-2 cells. Moreover, miR-340-5p decreased the accumulation of MRP1 and MDR1. We further explored the mechanism underlying the promoting effects of miR-340-5p on CDDP-induced cell death. We identified a potential target of miR-340 in the 3′ untranslated region of lysophosphatidic acid acyltransferase (LPAATβ) using the online program Targetscan (http://www.microrna.org). Luciferase reporter assays showed that miR-340 binds to the 3′UTR of LPAATβ. Enforced expression of miR-340-5p decreased the accumulation of LPAATβ in both MG-63 and Saos-2 cells. Silencing LPAATβ decreased the IC50 of CDDP and increased the apoptosis of CDDP-resistant MG-63 and Saos-2 cells, which is consistent with the effect of miR-340-5p on CDDP-induced cell death. Moreover, induced expression of LPAATβ compromised the effects of miR-340-5p on CDDP-induced cell death and accumulation of MRP1 and MDR1. Taken together, our data indicated that miR-340-5p enhanced the sensitivity to CDDP by targeting LPAATβ.