miR-107-5p promotes tumor proliferation and invasion by targeting estrogen receptor-α in endometrial carcinoma

The aberrant expression of miR107-5p is closely related to the development of several types of human cancers. However, the role of miR-107-5p in endometrial carcinoma (EC) has not been fully confirmed. In the present study, we aimed to explore the function of miR-107-5p in EC carcinogenesis. EC samples and normal endometrial tissues were obtained by laser capture microdissection. It was determined that the expression of miR-107-5p in EC was significantly higher than that in normal endometrium, and higher miR-107-5p expression was related to advanced FIGO stages, lymph node metastasis and myometrial invasion in EC patients. Blocking miR-107-5p significantly inhibited cell proliferation, migration and invasion of EC cells in vitro and in vivo. The results of bioinformatic algorithms and luciferase reporter assays revealed that estrogen receptor α (ERα) was a direct target of miR-107-5p. miR-107-5p downregulated the expression of ERα mRNA and protein. In conclusion, our results highlighted that miR-107-5p is a novel prognostic factor that targets ERα to promote tumor proliferation and invasion of EC.