MicroRNA‐612 inhibits cervical cancer progression by targeting NOB1

Recently, many studies have shown that microRNA (miR)‐612 is involved in cancer progression. However, the role of miR‐612 in cervical cancer remains unclear. The present study aims to investigate the biological effects of miR‐612 on cervical cancer. The expression of miR‐612 in cervical cancer tissues and cell lines was analysed by quantitative reverse transcription‐polymerase chain reaction. The effect of miR‐612 cell proliferation, migration, invasion and apoptosis was studied by appropriate methods. Protein expression was determined by Western blot analyses. Bioinformatics analysis and luciferase reporter assays were performed to clarify the relationship between miR‐612 and nin one binding protein (NOB1). A xenograft model was established to examine the role of miR‐612 in vivo tumorigenesis. Cervical cancer tissues and cell lines showed down‐regulation of miR‐612 expression, which was associated with the Fédération Internationale de Gynécologie et d'Obstétrique (FIGO) stage and lymph node metastasis. Functional assays revealed that miR‐612 overexpression significantly suppressed cervical cancer cell proliferation, migration and invasion in vitro and delayed tumour growth in vivo. Mechanically, miR‐612 targeted NOB1 in cervical cancer cells, revealing a negative correlation between miR‐612 and NOB1in cervical cancer samples. NOB1 overexpression partially reversed the inhibitory effects of miR‐612 overexpression in cervical cancer cells. Taken together, these findings indicate that miR‐612 functions as a tumour suppressor in cervical cancer and suggest that miR‐612 may be a potential target in the therapeutic intervention of this malignancy.