Abstract
Increasing evidence indicated that microRNAs served dominant roles in carcinogenesis and cancer progression by targeting potential downstream genes. In our study, we found that miR-527 was an upregulated expression in human esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) cells and tissues. Furthermore, overexpression of miR-527 promoted cell proliferation and colony formation, enhanced anchorage-independent growth ability, and contributed to cell cycle. In addition, protein phosphatase 2 (PHLPP2) was identified as the direct downstream target gene of miR-527 and was confirmed by luciferase gene reporter assay. In summary, we concluded that miR-527 acted as an oncogenic microRNA in ESCC development by directly targeting PHLPP2 might be a novel therapeutic target for the treatment of ESCC.