miR‐194 suppresses high glucose‐induced non‐small cell lung cancer cell progression by targeting NFAT5

BACKGROUND: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is linked to an increased risk of lung cancer; however, the exact molecular basis is unclear. METHODS: We used a microarray method and found a group of microRNAs differently expressed in lung cancer cells at high or low glucose treatment. RESULTS: Among these, miR‐194 changed significantly, which indicated further analysis. miR‐194 was significantly downregulated in non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells cultured in high glucose (HG) medium and clinical NSCLC tissues with DM. The introduction of miR‐194 significantly suppressed the proliferation, migration, and invasion of lung cancer cells induced by HG, suggesting that miR‐194 may be a suppressor during HG‐induced NSCLC progression. Further analysis indicated that NFAT5 was a direct target gene of miR‐194, evidenced by the direct binding of miR‐194 with the 3’untranslated region of NFAT5. MiR‐194 could decrease the expression of NFAT5 at both messenger RNA and protein levels, while overexpression of NFAT5 reversed the decreased proliferation, migration, and invasion ability mediated by miR‐194 in lung cancer cells. CONCLUSION: Our findings provide new insight into the mechanism of NSCLC progression. Therapeutically, miR‐194 may serve as a potential target for the treatment of lung cancer patients with DM.