microRNA-184 functions as tumor suppressor in renal cell carcinoma

Abstract

microRNAs (miRNAs) are evolutionarily conserved, endogenous, small, noncoding RNA molecules of approximately 22 nucleotides in length that function as post‑transcriptional gene regulators. Their aberrant expression may be involved in human diseases, including cancer. Although miRNA‑184 (miR‑184) has been reported in other tumors, its function in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is still unknown. The aim of the present study was to investigate the role of miR‑184 in RCC. The impacts of miR‑184 on cell migration, proliferation and apoptosis were evaluated using migration scratch, 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) and flow cytometry assay. Our studies revealed that miR‑184 mimic significantly inhibits cell migration, suppresses cell proliferation and induces renal cancer cell apoptosis in vitro when compared with the negative control (P<0.05). In this study, it was observed that miR‑184 played a significant role as a tumor suppressor in RCC. Therefore, miR‑184 may be a promising therapeutic target for renal cancer treatment in the future.