COMPOSITION FOR THE PREVENTION OR TREATMENT OF NEOPLASTIC DISEASES, COMPRISING MIRNA AS AN ACTIVE INGREDIENT

摘要

The present invention relates to a pharmaceutical composition for the prevention or treatment of KIT(v-kit Hardy-Zuckerman 4 feline sarcoma viral oncogene homologue)-mediated diseases, disorders or conditions, which comprises microRNA-494 (miR-494) or an agent (agents) that induces (induce) miR-494 overexpression. The present invention also relates to a screening method using the pharmaceutical composition. The miR-494 of the present invention binds directly to two different core sequence sites (seed match sites/sequences) in KIT 3'-UTR and so effects top-down control of KIT, and reduces the expression of downstream molecules (e.g. phospho-AKT and phospho-STAT3) in the KIT signalling transition pathway, and the miR-494 overexpression induction of the present invention suppresses the growth of neoplastic cells and preferably GIST cell lines. Consequently, when preventing or treating KIT-mediated diseases, disorders or conditions, it is advantageous to use the composition of the present invention which comprises miR-494 and a substance that promotes expression thereof or a substance that suppresses KIT expression of the present invention as an active ingredient.