Abstract
Numerous studies have suggested that microRNAs (miRNAs) are dysregulated in osteosarcoma (OS), implicating miRNAs in OS initiation and progression. Therefore, knowledge of aberrantly expressed miRNAs in OS may provide novel mechanistic insights into the tumorigenesis and tumor development of OS and facilitate therapeutic methods for patients with this aggressive bone neoplasm. In this study, data obtained from reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) revealed that miR-935 was significantly decreased in OS tissues and cell lines. Restoration expression of miR-935 obviously restricted proliferation and invasion of OS cells. In addition, high-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) was predicted to be a putative target of miR-935. Subsequent dual-luciferase reporter assay, RT-qPCR, and Western blot analysis confirmed that miR-935 could directly target the 3'-untranslated region of HMGB1 and negatively regulated HMGB1 expression in OS cells. Furthermore, a significant negative association was found between miR-935 and HMGB1 mRNA expression in OS tissues. Rescue experiments showed that recovery of HMGB1 expression partially rescued miR-935-induced suppression of cell proliferation and invasion in OS. These results provide the first evidence for the suppressive roles of miR-935 in OS by directly targeting HMGB1, suggesting that miR-935 may be a potential candidate for the treatment of patients with this disease.