miR‐541 suppresses proliferation and invasion of squamous cell lung carcinoma cell lines via directly targeting high‐mobility group AT‐hook 2

An increasing number of studies have demonstrated that micro‐ribonucleic acids (miRNAs) are important tumor suppressors during carcinogenesis. However, the function of miRNA‐541 (miR‐541) in malignancies, especially lung cancer, has not been widely reported. In this study, miR‐541 expression was significantly decreased in squamous cell lung carcinoma (SCLC) cancerous tissue and SCLC cell lines. To analyze miR‐541 function in SCLC, we overexpressed miR‐541 in SCLC cell lines (SK‐MES‐1 and H226). According to the CCK8, wound scratch, and transwell invasion assay results, miR‐541 overexpression significantly inhibited SCLC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion ability. Next, using RT‐PCR, Western blotting, immunocytochemistry, and luciferase assays, HMGA2 was identified, for the first time, as a direct regulatory target of miR‐541 in SK‐MES‐1 and H226 cells. Furthermore, upregulating HMGA2 expression significantly alleviated the suppressive effects of miR‐541 on SK‐MES‐1 and H226 cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. In summary, our study revealed that miR‐541 inhibited SCLC proliferation and invasion by directly targeting HMGA2.