MicroRNA-361-5p suppresses the tumorigenesis of hepatocellular carcinoma through targeting WT1 and suppressing WNT/β-cadherin pathway.

OBJECTIVE: MicroRNA-361-5p (miR-361-5p) has been found to be involved in the pathogenesis of several human cancers. However. the specific role of miR-361-5p is still unclear in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Therefore. this study was designed to elucidate the function of miR-361-5p in HCC. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The expression levels of miR-361-5p and Wilms' tumor-1 (WT1) were detected by quantitative Real Time-Polymerase Chain Reaction (qRT-PCR) assay. Moreover, the function of miR-361-5p was examined through Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) and transwell assays. The protein expressions were examined via Western blot analysis and immunocytochemical assay. Tumor growth of HCC was observed via xenograft tumor formation assay. The relationship between miR-361-5p and WT1 was verified by the Dual-Luciferase assay. RESULTS: Downregulation of miR-361-5p was identified in HCC, which predicted a worse prognosis in HCC patients. Furthermore, it was found that miR-361-5p suppressed cell proliferation. migration, and invasion in HCC by inhibiting WT1. MiR-361-5p also inhibited tumor growth of HCC. Besides that, miR-361-5p suppressed EMT and negatively activated the WNT/beta-cadherin pathway in HCC. CONCLUSIONS: MiR-361-5p suppressed tumorigenesis of HCC by targeting WT1 and inactivating the WNT/beta-cadherin pathway.