MicroRNA-212 inhibits the proliferation and invasion of human renal cell carcinoma by targeting FOXA1

Abstract

MicroRNA-212 (miR-212) has been observed to be significantly deregulated in various types of human cancer. However, the clinical significance of miR-212 and the associated molecular signaling pathways involved in the progression of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) remain unclear. In the present study, miR-212 expression was significantly downregulated in RCC tissues compared with adjacent non-tumor tissues. Clinical association analysis indicated that low expression of miR-212 was prominently associated with large tumor size, advanced tumor, nodes, metastasis stage and lymph node metastasis. In vitro studies revealed that upregulation of miR-212 inhibited cell proliferation, migration and invasion, and induced apoptosis in Caki-1 cells. Forkhead box protein Al (FOXA1) was identified as a direct target of miR-212 in RCC cells via luciferase reporter assays and western blotting. In addition, FOXA1 expression was upregulated in RCC tissues compared with adjacent noncancerous tissues. An inverse correlation between FOXA1 and miR-212 expression was observed in RCC tissues. Notably, FOXA1 overexpression partially rescued miR-212-mediated inhibition of cell proliferation, migration and invasion in RCC cells. These results suggested that miR-212 suppresses RCC proliferation and invasion by modulating FOXA1, suggesting that miR-212 may have potential as a therapeutic target in RCC.