Abstract
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) represent a class of small RNAs that participate in the regulation of tumor progression. However, the identification of functional miRNAs in tumors has not been thoroughly elucidated. In the present study we aim to investigate the impact of altered miR-2053 expression in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells. The results of the present study demonstrated that miR-2053 overexpression inhibited cell proliferation, migration and invasion, and promoted apoptosis in a HCC cell line, while miR-2053 knockdown induced the opposite cellular phenotypic changes. Mechanistically, it was found that overexpression of miR-2053 resulted in the downregulation of the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) and Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathways, which are aberrantly expressed in HCC. Collectively, the results indicate that miR-2053 serves as a tumor suppressor with a crucial role in inhibiting the proliferation, migration and invasion of HCC via targeting the PI3K and Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathways. These data indicate a potential application of miR-2053 in cancer therapy.