miR-204-5p suppresses cell proliferation by inhibiting IGFBP5 in papillary thyroid carcinoma

microRNAs (miRNAs) are frequently dysregulated in human malignancies. It was recently shown that miR-204-5p is downregulated in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC); however, the functional significance of this observation is not known. This study investigated the role of miR-204-5p in PTC. Overexpressing miR-204-5p suppressed PTC cell proliferation and induced cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. The results of a luciferase reporter assay showed that miR-204-5p can directly bind to the 3′ untranslated region (UTR) of insulin-like growth factor-binding protein 5 (IGFBP5) mRNA, and IGFBP5 overexpression partially reversed the growth-inhibitory effects of miR-204-5p. These results indicate that miR-204-5p acts as a tumor suppressor in PTC by regulating IGFBP5 expression and that miR-204-5p can potentially serve as an antitumorigenic agent in the treatment of PTC. •miR-204-5p expression is downregulated in PTC tissues and cell lines.•miR-204-5p suppresses proliferation and promotes apoptosis in PTC cells.•miR-204-5p suppresses IGFBP5 expression by direct binding to the 3′-UTR.•IGFBP5 overexpression reverses the effects of miR-204-5p.