Effect of miR-212 targeting TCF7L2 on the proliferation and metastasis of cervical cancer.

OBJECTIVE MicroRNAs (miRs) function as either oncogenes or tumor suppressors in the progression of various human cancers, including cervical cancer. This study aimed to explore the role of miR-212 in cervical cancer and the mechanisms underlying this role. PATIENTS AND METHODS Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Western blot assays were used to determine the expression levels of miR-212 and TCF7L2 in the cervical cancer cells. Cell proliferation invasion was examined using BrdU assays and transwell, respectively. A bioinformatics analysis was used to predict targets, and a dual-luciferase reporter system was applied for validation. RESULTS In our study, we demonstrated that miR-212 expression was significantly downregulated in cervical cancer tissues and cell lines. Moreover, the increased expression of miR-212 suppressed cell proliferation and invasion of cervical cancer cell lines in vitro. On the contrary, the decreased expression of miR-212 promoted cell proliferation and invasion of cervical cancer cell lines. Finally, the results of Western blot showed that overexpression of miR-212 dramatically suppressed the protein expression of TCF7L2. The knockdown of miR-212 showed the contrary effect. Luciferase reporter assay identified TCF7L2 as a novel direct target of miR-212. CONCLUSIONS Our results revealed that miR-212 inhibited cervical cancer metastasis and progression by targeting TCF7L2 expression.