Low mir-372 expression correlates with poor prognosis and tumor metastasis in hepatocellular carcinoma

BACKGROUND: Recent studies have shown that miR-372 plays important roles in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) progression. However, results have been conflicting regarding its expression levels and role in HCC. METHODS: RT-PCR and in situ hybridization was used to evaluate miR-372 expression in HCC tissues and cell lines. The methylation status of neighboring CpG islands upstream of the miR-372 promoter was analyzed by methylation-specific PCR (MSP). Transfection of miR-372 mimic into HCC cell lines was used to evaluate cellular proliferation and invasion. Prognostic significance was analyzed by the Kaplan–Meier survival method and Cox regression. RESULTS: miR-372 was expressed at lower levels in HCC tissues compared with controls and was related to tumor metastasis and poor prognosis. Hypermethylation of miR-372 was detected in HCC cell lines and tissues, and miR-372 expression was restored upon 5-aza-dCyd treatment. Upregulated expression by mir-372 mimic transfection inhibited proliferation and invasion capacity in HCC cells. CONCLUSIONS: miR-372 may play an important role in hepatic carcinogenesis and may serve as a new target or method to detect and treat HCC in the future.