Cordycepin induces apoptotic cell death and inhibits cell migration in renal cell carcinoma via regulation of microRNA-21 and PTEN phosphatase.

Cordycepin is an active component extracted from Traditional Chinese medical herb Cordyceps militaris. Many reports demonstrated that cordycepin harbors antitumor activity in a broad spectrum of cancer types. In this study the actions and the underneath molecular mechanisms of cordycepin were investigated in renal cell carcinoma Caki-1 cell line. Results showed that cordycepin induced apoptotic cell death and inhibited cell migration in Caki-1 cells. Quantitative real-time PCR results and western blot analyses indicated cordycepin dose-dependently decreased microRNA-21 expression and Akt phosphorylation levels in Caki-1 cells, but increased PTEN phosphatase levels. Block of cordycepin-induced microRNA-21 decrease or PTEN increase in Caki-1 cells by transfection of microRNA-21 mimic or PTEN siRNA significantly attenuated cordycepin-induced cell death and inhibition of cell migration. Taken together, findings in present study suggested that cordycepin induced apoptotic cell death in renal cell carcinoma through regulation of microRNA-21 and PTEN phosphatase. Furthermore, present study also firstly illustrated that cordycepin inhibited cell migration of renal cell carcinoma, which also involved microRNA-21 and PTEN phosphatase.