Abstract
The dysregulation of microRNAs (miRNAs) is associated with the pathogenesis of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, the mechanisms by which miR-516a-5p contributes to NSCLC remain unclear. The association between miR-516a-5p expression and the clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis in patients with NSCLC was analyzed by The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) data set. The targets of miR-516a-5p were identified by bioinformatic analysis and luciferase report assay. MTT and soft agar assays were conducted to investigate the function of miR-516a-5p in NSCLC cells. We found that the expression of miR-516a-5p was decreased in NSCLC tissues and associated with the age, pathological stage, and tumor size, acting as an independent prognostic factor of tumor recurrence in patients with NSCLC. Restoration of miR-516a-5p inhibited the cell viability and anchorage-independent growth of NSCLC cells, but its inhibitor had the opposite effects. Histone cluster 3 H2A (HIST3H2A) was further identified as a direct target of miR-516a-5p and displayed a negative correlation with miR-516a-5p expression in NSCLC tissues. Overexpression of HIST3H2A reversed the anti-proliferation effects induced by miR-516a-5p and acted as an independent prognostic factor of poor survival in patients with NSCLC. Altogether, our findings demonstrate that miR-516a-5p may function as a tumor suppressive factor in NSCLC cells by targeting HIST3H2A and might represent a potential indicator of tumor recurrence in patients with NSCLC.