Fig. 1

miR-380-5p impairs the growth of DMPM cells and inhibits TA by downregulating TEP1. a The drawing schematically shows the minimal components TERT (telomerase reverse transcriptase) and TERC (telomerase RNA component) of telomerase associated with telomeric DNA and with some ancillary proteins involved in the stabilization (DKC1: dyskerin pseudouridine synthase 1), proper functioning (TEP1, telomerase associated protein 1) and intra-nuclear localization (WRAP53, WD repeat containing antisense to TP53) of the enzyme. b Basal miR-380-5p expression levels in normal, non-immortalized mesothelial (MES-F) cells, in TA-positive DMPM (STO, MP8, MP4) and lung adenocarcinma (A549) cells as well as in the TA-negative (ALT-positive) U-2 Os cell line (Log₁₀(RQ) with respect to MES-F cells; mean values ± s.d.). c Time-course assessment of miR-380-5p expression levels in preNeg- and miR-380-5p-transfected STO cells (Log₁₀(RQ) with respect to non transfected (NT) cells; mean value ± s.d.). d Growth curves of NT, preNeg- and miR-380-5p-transfected STO cells (number of growing cells; mean value ± s.d.); *P < 0.05; **P < 0.02 in miR-380 vs. preNeg. e Quantification of TA (arbitrary units (a.u.); mean values ± s.d.); **P < 0.01 vs. preNeg-transfected cells. f Representative immunoblotting showing the amounts of p53, p21^waf1 and of apoptotic markers upon a 96-h transfection of STO cells with preNeg or miR-380-5p. Cropped images of selected proteins are shown. g TEP1 expression levels in miR-380-5p- vs. preNeg-transfected DMPM and U-2 Os cells (percentage of gene expression inhibition; mean values ± s.d.). h Representative immunoblotting (cropped images of selected proteins are shown) and quantification of TEP1 amounts in preNeg- and miR-380-5p-transfected DMPM and U-2 Os cells. Data have been reported as percentage of protein amounts in miR-380-5p- vs. preNeg-transfected DMPM and U-2 Os cells (mean values ± s.d.)