MicroRNA-29c-3p acts as a tumor suppressor gene and inhibits tumor progression in hepatocellular carcinoma by targeting TRIM31

Aberrant expression of microRNAs (miRNAs) has been widely reported in many malignant tumors, and dysregulated miRNAs play an important role in the malignant progression of tumors. It has been reported that miR-29c-3p expression is dysregulated in tumors and promotes the development of tumors, especially in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the specific mechanism of miR-29c-3p in HCC is not clear. The present study demonstrated that miR-29c-3p was expressed at low levels in HCC patients and cell lines and that its decreased expression was closely related to poor prognosis of HCC patients. Overexpression of miR-29c-3p could significantly inhibit the proliferation and migration of HCC cells in vitro and suppress the HCC tumor growth in vivo. The luciferase reporter assay demonstrated that miR-29c-3p directly bound to tripartite motif containing 31 (TRIM31) and suppressed TRIM31 expression. Finally, upregulation of TRIM31 could partially abolish the tumor suppressing roles of miR-29c-3p in HCC. Overall, miR-29c-3p, as a tumor suppressor gene, was revealed to inhibit the malignant progression of HCC by reducing the expression of TRIM31 and may be used as a potential therapeutic target for the precise treatment of HCC.