Combined aberrant expression of microRNA-214 and UBC9 is an independent unfavorable prognostic factor for patients with gliomas

microRNA-214 (miR-214) plays an important role in tumor cell proliferation, migration and invasion, as well as tumor angiogenesis. Ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme 9 (UBC9) is implicated in regulating several critical cancer-related pathways. Recent study has demonstrated that miR-214 reduction may facilitate UBC9 expression and may be involved in the regulation of glioma cell proliferation. The aim of this study was to clarify the clinical significance of miR-214 and UBC9 in human glioma, which has not been fully elucidated. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis was used to characterize the expression patterns of miR-214 and UBC9 mRNA in 108 glioma and 20 normal brain tissues. The associations of miR-214 and UBC9 mRNA expressions with clinicopathological factors and prognosis of glioma patients were also statistically analyzed. Compared with normal brain tissues, the expression levels of miR-214 and UBC9 mRNA in glioma tissues were significantly downregulated and upregulated, respectively (both P