MiR-616 plays oncogenic role in hepatocellular carcinoma progression through suppressing PTEN expression and activating PI3K/AKT pathway

Abstract

Aims: Given their regulatory roles in gene expression, microRNAs play an important role in tumorigenesis. The current study aimed to explore the function and the related mechanisms of miR-616 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods: The expression of miR-616 was detected using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Chi-square test was applied to estimate the association of miR-616 with clinical characteristics of HCC patients. Cell transfection was performed by Lipofectamine® 2000. MTT assay was used to detect cell proliferation, whereas cell motility was estimated using Transwell assay. The protein expression was detected using western blot. Results:MiR-616 was significantly up-regulated in HCC tissues and cells (p