MicroRNA-552 promotes hepatocellular carcinoma progression by downregulating WIF1

MicroRNAs (miRNAs/miRs) are involved in the metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In the present study, it was demonstrated that miR-552 was upregulated in HCC tissues. High miR-552 expression was associated with malignant clinicopathological features and decreased survival rates. The in vitro results indicated that miR-552 overexpression promoted migration, invasion and epithelial-mesenchymal transition in Hep3B cells. However, the knockdown of miR-552 inhibited its oncogenic roles in Huh-7 cells. Additionally, Wnt inhibitory factor 1 (WIF1) was demonstrated to be a direct target of miR-552 in Hep3B and Huh-7 cells. Additional experiments identified that miR-552 promotes β-catenin expression by increasing the phosphorylation of GSK3β at Ser9. In conclusion, the results suggested that miR-552 may promote HCC progression by blocking WIF1-mediated GSK3β dephosphorylation. miR-552 may be a biomarker for predicting the outcomes of patients with HCC.