Conclusions
Our study sheds light on the novel underlying mechanism of miR-191 in HCC, which may accelerate the development of cancer therapy.
Methods
The expression of miR-191 in HCC tissues was determined by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). The role of miR-191 in HCC cells was examined by using both in vitro and in vivo assays. Downstream targets of miR-191 were determined by qRT-PCR and Western blot analysis. Dual-luciferase assays were performed to validate the interaction between miR-191 and its targets.
Results
The expression of miR-191 was significantly higher in HCC patients and a higher miR-191 expression predicted poorer prognosis. Analysis of The Cancer Genome Atlas data sets suggested that miR-191 positively correlated with cell cycle progression. Gain and loss of function assays showed that miR-191 promoted cell cycle progression and proliferation. Luciferase reporter assay showed that miR-191 directly targeted the 3'-untranslated region of KLF6 mRNA. Furthermore, circular RNA has_circ_0000204 could sponge with miR-191, resulting in inactivation of miR-191. Conclusions: Our study sheds light on the novel underlying mechanism of miR-191 in HCC, which may accelerate the development of cancer therapy.