MicroRNA-31 promotes chondrocyte proliferation by targeting C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 12

The present study aimed to investigate the biological function and underlying molecular mechanisms of miR-31 in osteoarthritis (OA). Reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction was used to detect miR-31 expression, and it was found that miR-31 was downregulated in the cartilage tissues of OA patients. microRNA.org was used to predict the gene targets of miR-31, and dual luciferase reporter assays were used to verify that C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 12 (CXCL12) was a direct target of miR-31. The human chondrocyte cell line CHON-001 was used to perform MTT and cell migration assays. Western blotting was used to measure the protein expression of CXCL12, type I collagen and aggrecan. The results suggested that CXCL12 was a target of miR-31, and the expression of CXCL12 was negatively regulated by miR-31 in CHON-001 cells. miR-31 increased CHON-001 cell viability and migration, as well as the expression of type I collagen and aggrecan. Furthermore, the overexpression of CXCL12 eliminated the effects of miR-31 mimics on CHON-001 cells. In conclusion, the data indicated that miR-31 promoted chondrocyte viability and migration by directly targeting CXCL12, which provided evidence for CXCL12 as a potential target in OA therapy.