miR-205-5p inhibits cell migration and invasion in prostatic carcinoma by targeting ZEB1

Many studies have demonstrated that miRNAs have influence on tumorigenesis and progression of human cancers, including invasion and migration. Thus, the role of miR-205/ZEB1 axis for the migration and invasion of prostate cancer cells was explored in the present study. The miR-205-5p and zinc finger E-box binding homeobox 1 (ZEB1) mRNA expression levels were observed in prostate cancer tissues or cell lines via reverse transcription-quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR), and the protein level of ZEB1 was measured by western blotting. Dual-Luciferase Reporter Assay was used to verify the relationship between miR-205-5p and ZEB1. In addition, cell migration and invasion was measured by Transwell assay. The results revealed that, compared with the control, downregulation of miR-205-5p was detected in prostate cancer tissues and cell lines, and miR-205-5p overexpression was found to inhibit cell migration and invasion. Moreover, miR-205-5p was confirmed to directly target ZEB1 in prostate cancer. Importantly, ZEB1 was identified to weaken the inhibitory effect of miR-205-5p in prostate cancer. In conclusion, miR-205-5p inhibited cell migration and invasion in prostatic carcinoma by targeting ZEB1 and miR-205-5p/ZEB1 axis shows potential to be developed in therapeutic strategies for prostate cancer.