Open Access

ARTICLE

miR-132 Targets FOXA1 and Exerts Tumor-Suppressing Functions in Thyroid Cancer

Xin Chen^*, Mingzhe Li^†, Hongwei Zhou^*, Li Zhang^*

* Department of Radiology, the First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin, P.R. China
† China–Japan Union Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, P.R. China

Oncology Research 2019, 27(4), 431-437. https://doi.org/10.3727/096504018X15201058168730

Abstract

MicroRNA-132 (miR-132) has been demonstrated to be a tumor suppressor in several types of tumors. However, the expression and the role of miR-132 in human thyroid cancer are still poorly understood. The aim of the present study was to examine the potential roles and molecular mechanism of miR-132 in thyroid cancer. We found that miR-132 expression levels were significantly downregulated in thyroid cancer tissues and cell lines. Function assays showed that overexpression of miR-132 in TPC1 cells inhibited cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. Forkhead box protein A1 (FOXA1) was identified as a direct target of miR-132 in thyroid cancer cells. Knockdown of FOXA1 in TPC1 cells significantly inhibited cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, which mimicked the suppressive effect induced by miR-132 overexpression. Restoration of FOXA1 expression partially reversed the suppressive effect induced by miR-132 overexpression. Taken together, these results suggested that miR-132 acts as a tumor suppressor in thyroid cancer through targeting FOXA1.

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