MicroRNA-299-3p/FOXP4 Axis Regulates the Proliferation and Migration of Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma

MicroRNAs are noncoding RNAs of 21 to 23 nucleotides in length that play important roles in almost all biological pathways. The roles of microRNA-299-3p in the development and progression of oral squamous cell carcinoma remain unclear. Expression level of microRNA-299-3p in oral squamous cell carcinoma cell lines was analyzed. Then, the effects of microRNA-299-3p on oral squamous cell carcinoma cell proliferation and migration were investigated. Moreover, bioinformation algorithm and Western blot were conducted to explore whether forkhead box P4 was a direct target of miR-299-3p. We showed that microRNA-299-3p expression was significantly reduced in oral squamous cell carcinoma cell lines. Next, overexpression of microRNA-299-3p was found to inhibit oral squamous cell carcinoma cell proliferation and migration but promote apoptosis. In addition, forkhead box P4 was identified as a functional target of microRNA-299-3p. Our results provide a new perspective for the mechanisms underlying the progression of oral squamous cell carcinoma and a novel target for the treatment of oral squamous cell carcinoma.