Abstract
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of naturally occurring, small, non-coding RNAs that target protein-coding mRNAs at the post-transcriptional level and participate in various biological processes. Our previous studies suggested that miR-143-3p functions as a tumor suppressor and has a role in the progression of ovarian cancer, in part through the regulation of the tumor promoter. In this study, we found that the mRNA expression level of miR-143-3p was significantly decreased in ovarian cancer tissues, in comparison with normal ovarian tissues by high-throughput miRNA profiling and quantitative RT-PCR. Secondly, we indicated that the up-regulation of miR-143-3p in the ovarian cancer cell lines SKOV3, ES2, and OVCAR3 significantly reduced their proliferation, migration, and invasion. Furthermore, miR-143-3p inhibited the growth of ovarian tumors in vivo in a xenograft experiment. In addition, miR-143-3p down-regulated the expression of transforming growth factor (TGF)-β-activated kinase 1 (TAK1) in human ovarian cancer cells. Therefore, our study indicates that miR-143-3p inhibited the proliferation, migration, and invasion of ovarian cancer cells in vitro, as well as ovarian tumorigenesis in vivo. This inhibitory effect may target TAK1, suggesting a potential application of the miR-143-3p-TAK1 pathway in the clinical diagnosis and treatment of ovarian cancer.