Abstract
The aim of the present study was to evaluate the expression levels of microRNA (miR)-363-3p and its underlying physiological function in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). miR-363-3p expression levels were measured in OSCC cell lines using reverse transcription-quantitative PCR. The role of miR-363-3p in OSCC cells was examined using gain-of-function assays in vitro. Cell proliferation was assessed using Cell Counting Kit-8, 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine assays and flow cytometry. Cell migration and invasion were evaluated in wound-healing and Transwell Matrigel assays. In addition, bioinformatics analysis predicted binding sites of miR-363-3p on sperm-specific antigen 2 (SSFA2). Luciferase reporter and RNA pull-down assays were conducted to test whether miR-363-3p interacted with SSFA2. miR-363-3p expression was downregulated in OSCC cell lines compared with that in the normal epithelial cell line (NHOK). Additionally, miR-363-3p overexpression suppressed OSCC cell proliferation, migration and invasion in vitro. SSFA2 was verified as a direct target of miR-363-3p, and SSFA2 overexpression partially counteracted the inhibitory effects of miR-363-3p on cell proliferation, migration and invasion in OSCC cell lines. Thus, miR-363-3p may serve as a tumor suppressor via targeting SSFA2 and may represent a potential therapeutic target for OSCC.