MicroRNA-141 inhibits epithelial-mesenchymal transition, and ovarian cancer cell migration and invasion

The effects of microRNA-141 (miR-141) on epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), and ovarian cancer cell migration and invasion were investigated. SKOV3 cells were transfected with the miR-141 mimic (mimic group), inhibitor (inhibitor group) and nonspecific sequences (NC group), and left untransfected group (blank group). The reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) was used to detect the expression of miR-141 in SKOV3 cell lines. Then, mRNA levels and protein expression of EMT markers were determined by RT-qPCR and western blotting, respectively. Cell proliferation was assessed using an MTT assay, followed by analysis of cell invasion and migration. SPSS software was used for statistical analysis. The results demonstrated that miR-141 expression in the mimic group was increased compared with the NC or blank group. Compared with the NC or blank group, upregulation of epithelial-cadherin (E-cadherin) and integrin-β, and downregulation of zinc finger E-box-binding homeobox (ZEB) was observed in the mimic group. The rate of cell proliferation decreased in the mimic group and increased in the inhibitor group when compared with the NC group (P<0.05). The number of invasive cells significantly increased in the inhibitor group and decreased in the mimic group when compared with the NC group (P<0.01). Compared with the NC group, the migratory rate was decreased in the mimic group, and increased in the inhibitor group at 24 and 48 h (all P<0.01). In conclusion, overexpression of miR-141 caused upregulation of E-cadherin, inhibited cell proliferation and EMT, and decreased cell invasion and migration in the SKOV3 cell line.