MicroRNA-545 targets ZEB2 to inhibit the development of non-small cell lung cancer by inactivating Wnt/β-catenin pathway

The specific function of microRNA-545 (miR-545) has been reported to regulate the development of human cancers. However, the effect of miR-545 is still unclear in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Hence, this study explored the molecular mechanism of miR-545 in NSCLC. The expression levels of miR-545 and ZEB2 were measured through reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) assay. The protein expression was detected by western blotting. Dual luciferase assay was applied to evaluate the relationship between miR-545 and zinc finger E-box-binding homeobox 2 (ZEB2). MTT and Transwell assays were used to investigate the function of miR-545 in NSCLC. The expression of miR-545 was decreased in NSCLC tissues. The overexpression of miR-545 suppressed the migration, invasion and proliferation of NSCLC cells. Furthermore, ZEB2 was a direct target gene of miR-545. The knockout of ZEB2 suppressed the development of NSCLC. miR-545 inhibited the progression of NSCLC through targeting ZEB2. Moreover, miR-545 repressed the development of NSCLC via blocking EMT and Wnt/β-catenin pathway. In conclusion, miR-545 inhibited the progression of NSCLC through targeting ZEB2 and blocking EMT and Wnt/β-catenin pathway.