miR-152 is involved in the proliferation and metastasis of ovarian cancer through repression of ERBB3

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) participate in post-transcriptional regulation by targeting the 3′ untranslated region of target genes that are involved in diverse biological processes. To the best of our knowledge, the association between miR-152 and ERBB3 in ovarian cancer remains unclear. In the present study, a negative correlation between miR-152 and ERBB3 in ovarian cancer was observed. The luciferase reporter gene assay results demonstrated that miR-152 negatively regulated ERBB3 in SKOV3 and OVCAR3 ovarian cancer cells. Furthermore, our results revealed that miR-152 suppressed the ability of ovarian cancer cell proliferation, migration and invasion, and promoted apoptosis through inhibiting ERBB3 in vitro. Therefore, in the present study, miR-152 was found to be involved in the proliferation and metastasis of ovarian cancer cells through repression of ERBB3 expression. Therefore, miR-152 may be a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of ovarian cancer.