Abstract
Increasing evidence demonstrate that dysregulated microRNAs (miRNAs) are involved in carcinogenesis and tumor progression in papillary thyroid cancer (PTC). However, the specific miR-761 in cancer remains largely unknown. In this study, we reported for the first that miR-761 expression was down-regulated in PTC tissues and cell lines, and its decrease was associated with tumor size and TNM stage. Gain- and loss-of function experiments revealed that miR-761 inhibited cell proliferation, colony formation and cell cycle progression in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, TRIM29 was identified as a direct downstream target of miR-761 in PTC cells and mediated the functional effects of miR-761 in PTC. Restoration of TRIM29 expression at least partially abolished the biological effects of miR-761 on PTC cells. Furthermore, overexpression of lncRNA HOXA11-AS was inversely correlated with miR-761 expression in PTC tissues. LncRNA HOXA11-AS could modulate the miR-761 expression and regulate cellular behaviors. Taken together, this research supports the first evidence that lncRNA HOXA11-AS-reguated miR-761 plays a functional role in inhibiting PTC progression by targeting TRIM29 and represent a promising therapeutic strategy for patients with PTC.