Tumor suppressor role of microRNA-545 in oral squamous cell carcinoma

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is the predominant histological type of oral cancer, and poses an important threat to human health. MicroRNA (miRNA) serves important functions in the pathogenesis of OSCC, and in that of other types of cancer. For example, miR-545 exhibits inhibitory functions in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, lung cancer and hepatocellular carcinoma. In the present study, the function of miR-545 was assessed in OSCC. Obtained results indicated decreased levels of miR-545 in OSCC tissues when comparing with the adjacent normal tissues. Overexpression of miR-545 inhibited HSC4 cells proliferation and migration, and vice versa. Furthermore, miR-545 was identified to target the 3′-UTR of retinoic acid-inducible gene-I (RIG-I), and there was a negative association between RIG-I mRNA expression and miR-545 expression in the 20 OSCC tissues. In conclusion, the present data demonstrate the tumor suppressive role of miR-545 in OSCC.