MicroRNA-294 Promotes Cell Proliferation, Migration and Invasion in SMMC-7721 Hepatoma Carcinoma Cells by Activating the JNK/ERK Signaling Pathway

It has been reported that miR-294 is highly expressed in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tissues and cells. However, the potential role of miR-294 in the pathogenesis of HCC remains unclear. This study aimed to explore the role of miR-294 in HCC and the potential mechanism involved in this process. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction was performed to determine the expression of miR-294 in HCC tissues and cell lines. Following the overexpression or knockdown of miR-294, the proliferation, migration, and invasion abilities of cells were determined using Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8), wound healing and transwell assays, respectively. The phosphorylation of JNK and ERK was determined through western blotting. Furthermore, HCC cells were treated with JNK inhibitor SP600125 or ERK inhibitor U0126 and transfected with miR-294 mimics or negative control. Subsequently, the phosphorylation of JNK and ERK was evaluated and the proliferation, migration and invasion abilities of HCC cells were also determined. The expression of miR-294 was significantly increased in HCC tissues and cell lines. Following the overexpression of miR-294, proliferation, migration, and invasion were promoted in the SSMC-7721 cell line, and the phosphorylation of JNK and ERK was increased, while silencing of miR-294 led to the opposite result. Use of the JNK or ERK inhibitor to treat SSMC-7721 cells transfected with miR-294 mimics decreased the phosphorylation of JNK and ERK and inhibited the proliferation, migration and invasion abilities of cells. miR-294 is important for the development of HCC in terms of the biological activities of cells, and may be a novel therapeutic target for HCC.