miR-2053 inhibits the growth of ovarian cancer cells by downregulating SOX4

Ovarian cancer is one of the major gynaecological malignancies and a leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Dysregulation of miR-2053 has been reported in numerous types of cancer; however, its function in ovarian cancer remains largely unknown. In our study, the roles of miR-2053 during the development of ovarian cancer were investigated. miR-2053 expression was examined in ovarian cancer specimens and cells. Furthermore, the detailed functions and downstream targets of miR-2053 were identified. Briefly, the levels of miR-2053 were assessed in ovarian cancer tissues and paired non-cancerous samples, as well as in ovarian cancer cells using reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction. The proliferation of cells was determined by cell counting kit-8 kit, and the levels of PCNA were also examined using immunostaining. Cell migration and invasion were evaluated using Transwell assay, and E-cad expression was assessed by immunostaining. In addition, cell apoptosis was determined by flow cytometry, and the expression of cleaved caspase-3 was examined using western blotting. The results revealed the downregulation of miR-2053 in ovarian cancer tissues and cells. Moreover, miR-2053 mimics suppressed the proliferation, migration, and invasion of ovarian cancer cells, while cell apoptosis was promoted. In addition, SOX4 was a putative downstream molecule of miR-2053 in ovarian cancer. Furthermore, SOX4 is involved in miR-2053-regulated growth and metastasis of ovarian cancer cells. In summary, miR-2053 and its novel target SOX4 could serve essential roles during tumour development of ovarian cancer, more importantly, miR-2053/SOX4 axis may be novel candidate for targeted therapy for patients with ovarian cancer.