miR-490-3p functions as a tumor suppressor in glioma by inhibiting high-mobility group AT-hook 2 expression

Glioma is one of the most common types of malignant cancer and the significance of microRNAs (miRNAs) in cancer therapy has been demonstrated. In the current study, miR-490-3p expression was significantly downregulated in glioma tissue and cell lines. Overexpression of miR-490-3p inhibited glioma cell proliferation and migration in vitro. In addition, the high-mobility group AT-hook 2 (HMGA2) was identified as a candidate target gene of miR-490-3p. The current study demonstrated that miR-490-3p mimic could inhibit HMGA2 protein expression in glioma cells. In addition, correlation analysis demonstrated that miR-490-3p and HMGA2 expression was inversely correlated in glioma tissues. Furthermore, the inhibitory effect of miR-490-3p mimic on cell proliferation and migration was partially reversed by the overexpression of HMGA2. Taken together, these results suggest that miR-490-3p may have a tumor suppressive role in glioma and therefore miR-490-3p may be a new target for the treatment of glioma.