Upregulation of the miR-212/132 cluster suppresses proliferation of human lung cancer cells

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. microRNAs (miRNAs) are small post-transcriptional regulatory non-coding RNAs that function as oncogenes or tumor suppressors in human cancers. Emerging evidence reveals that deregulation of miRNAs contributes to the progression of human lung cancer, which is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. In the present study, we found that upregulation of the miR-212/132 cluster significantly suppressed the growth and focus formation of A549 and H1299 cells. Moreover, forced expression of this cluster conferred radiosensitivity and inhibited the migration of lung cancer cells, whereas downregulation of miR-212/132 reversed the above effects. Furthermore, miR-212/132 overexpression induced cell cycle arrest at the G1/S phase transition of the lung cancer cells, and inhibition of miR-132 and miR-212 abrogated this arrest. In addition, miR-212/132 overexpression increased the percentage of cells undergoing apoptosis. Cells transfected with the miR-212/132 cluster exhibited upregulated p21 expression and reduced cyclin D1 expression. Conversely, cells transfected with the miR-212/132 inhibitor showed reduced expression of p21 and upregulated expression of cyclin D1, suggesting that miR-212/132 may mediate proliferation and cell cycle arrest through p21 and cyclin D1. Our study provides insight into the biological function of the miR-212/132 cluster in lung cancer. The present study may provide a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of lung cancer.