miR-148b functions as a tumor suppressor in non-small cell lung cancer by targeting carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA)

Aberrant expression of miR-148b has been found in several types of cancer, but its expression and potential biologic role in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) are still largely unknown. Here, we found that miR-148b was commonly under-expressed in human non-small celllung cancer (NSCLC) specimens and cell lines. The overexpression of miR-148b dramatically suppressed NSCLC cell proliferation and migration. Furthermore, miR-148b could regulate carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) expression by luciferase reporter assay. On the other hand, CEA was widely up-regulated in NSCLC specimens, and its mRNA levels were inversely correlated with miR-148b expression. These suggest that CEA expression may be regulated by miR-148b. Collectively, our findings indicate miR-148b is low expression in NSCLC cells, which results in CEA overexpression and disease progression in NSCLC patients.