MiR-216b suppresses colorectal cancer proliferation, migration, and invasion by targeting SRPK1

BACKGROUND: MiR-216b has been reported to be involved in the development of some cancers, however, the role of miR-216b in colorectal cancer (CRC) remains unclear. PURPOSE: This study aimed to investigate the mechanism underlying miR-216b-induced CRC development. METHODS: We detected the expression of miR-216b in 80 cases of CRC tissues and cell lines, and further analyzed the association between miR-216b and clinical pathological indicators as well as prognosis. In vitro, the miR-216b overexpression cell model was established for further functional assay. RESULTS: We demonstrated that miR-216b in CRC tissues and cell lines was markedly decreased compared with corresponding adjacent normal tissues and colonic mucosal epithelial cell line, and was obviously associated with the TNM stage, lymph node metastases, and poor overall survival as well as recurrence-free survival. Furthermore, we found that miR-216b inhibited cell proliferation, cell cycle, migration, and invasion by targeting 3′-UTR of SRPK1. Besides, SRPK1 over-expression reversed miR-216b-inhibited cell proliferation, migration and invasion, while SRPK1 inhibition aggravated these effects. CONCLUSIONS: We identified that miR-216b suppresses colorectal cancer proliferation, migration and invasion by targeting SRPK1, which shed light on how miR-216b functions in CRC pathogenesis.