miR-629 Targets TRIM33 to Promote TGFβ/Smad Signaling and Metastatic Phenotypes in ccRCC.

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is the most common neoplasm of the adult kidney, and clear cell RCC (ccRCC) represents its most common histological subtype. To identify a therapeutic target for ccRCC, miRNA expression signatures from ccRCC clinical specimens were analyzed. miRNA microarray and real-time PCR analyses revealed that miR-629 expression was significantly upregulated in human ccRCC compared with adjacent noncancerous renal tissue. Functional inhibition of miR-629 by a hairpin miRNA inhibitor suppressed ccRCC cell motility and invasion. Mechanistically, miR-629 directly targeted tripartite motif-containing 33 (TRIM33), which inhibits the TGF beta/Smad signaling pathway. In clinical ccRCC specimens, downregulation of TRIM33 was observed with the association of both pathologic stages and grades. The miR-629 inhibitor significantly suppressed TGF beta-induced Smad activation by upregulating TRIM33 expression and subsequently inhibited the association of Smad2/3 and Smad4. Moreover, a miR-629 mimic enhanced the effect of TGF beta on the expression of epithelial-mesenchymal transition-related factors as well as on the motility and invasion in ccRCC cells. These findings identify miR-629 as a potent regulator of the TGF beta/Smad signaling pathway via TRIM33 in ccRCC.