miR-302a-5p/367-3p-HMGA2 axis regulates malignant processes during endometrial cancer development

BACKGROUND: Metastasis is one of the main reasons for treatment failure in endometrial cancer. Notably, high mobility group AT-hook 2 (HMGA2) has been recognized as a driving factor of tumour metastasis. microRNAs (miRNAs) are powerful posttranscriptional regulators of HMGA2. METHODS: The binding sites of miR-302a-5p and miR-367-3p on HMGA2 mRNA were identified using bioinformatics prediction software and were validated via luciferase assay. The expression levels of miR-302a-5p and miR-367-3p were detected using quantitative real-time PCR and in situ hybridization. Western blotting and immunohistochemistry were used to detect the levels of HMGA2 and epithelial-mesenchymal transition pathway-related proteins. Co-immunoprecipitation was used to detect protein interactions. The roles of miR-302a-5p and miR-367-3p in the regulation of HMGA2 during the progression of endometrial cancer were investigated using both in vitro and in vivo assays. RESULTS: In the present study, high HMGA2 expression was correlated with poor clinical outcomes in endometrial cancer. The binding sites of miRNAs on HMGA2 mRNA were identified using bioinformatics prediction software and were validated via luciferase assay. In the endometrial cancer cell lines Ishikawa and HEC-1A, the overexpression of miR-302a-5p/367-3p significantly inhibited the expression of HMGA2 mRNA. In endometrial cancer tissues, we showed that miR-302a-5p and miR-367-3p were significantly downregulated and thus inversely correlated with HMGA2. The miR-302a-5p and miR-367-3p expression levels were closely correlated with FIGO stage and lymph node metastasis. High expression of miR-302a-5p/367-3p was correlated with high survival rates in endometrial cancer. In addition, miR-302a-5p/367-3p suppressed the malignant behaviour of endometrial carcinoma cells via the inhibition of HMGA2 expression. CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate that miR-302a-5p/367-3p-mediated expression of HMGA2 regulates the malignant behaviour of endometrial carcinoma cells, which suggests that the miR-302a-5p/367-3p-HMGA2 axis may be a predictive biomarker of endometrial cancer metastasis and patient survival and a potential therapeutic target in metastatic endometrial cancer. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1186/s13046-018-0686-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.