MiR-454-3p and miR-374b-5p suppress migration and invasion of bladder cancer cells through targetting ZEB2

Bladder cancer (BCa) threatens human health due to the high occurrence and mortality. Nowadays, more and more researchers focussed on the molecular mechanisms and biological functions of miRNAs in human cancers. The present study aims to study the biological role of miR-454-3p and miR-374b-5p in BCa. The expression levels of miR-454-3p and miR-374b-5p were detected in BCa tissues and cell lines by qRT-PCR analysis. Kaplan–Meier analysis revealed that the expression levels of miR-454-3p and miR-374b-5p were positively correlated with the overall survival (OS) rate of BCa patients. Gain-of-function assays were conducted to demonstrate the inhibitory effects of miR-454-3p and miR-374b-5p on the invasion, migration, and epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) of BCa cells. Mechanically, ZEB2 was found to be a target of both miR-454-3p and miR-374b-5p. Rescue assays revealed that ZEB2 reversed the inhibitory effects of miR-454-3p and miR-374b-5p on the invasion and migration of BCa cell lines. In summary, miR-454-3p and miR-374b-5p negatively regulated invasion and migration of BCa cell lines via targetting ZEB2.