miRNA-370 acts as a tumor suppressor via the downregulation of PIM1 in hepatocellular carcinoma

摘要

OBJECTIVE: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a primary malignancy of liver. Nowadays HCC is one of the most common and aggressive malignancies worldwide. This study shows the aberrant up-regulation or down-regulation of miR-370correlates with the development and prognosis of different human malignancies including HCC. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The HCC cell lines were used as model cell lines and the anti-tumor effect of miR-370 in vitro were examined. The level of miR-370 in HCC cells was determined by qRT-PCR and restored in GC cells by using miR-370 mimic. Moreover, the target gene of miR-370 was then identified. RESULTS: The expression of miR-370 in HCC cell lines was significantly lower than that in the other human liver cells. The miR-370 acted as a tumor suppressor in HCC. Moreover, it showed that miR-370 exerted anti-tumor effect by targeting PIM1 directly, a serine/threonine-specific kinase involved in the development and progression of HCC. CONCLUSIONS: miR-370 acted as the tumor suppressor in HCC and was a potential therapeutic target for HCC treatment.