MIR-520f Regulated Itch Expression and Promoted Cell Proliferation in Human Melanoma Cells

Accumulating evidence suggests that abnormal expression and dysfunction of microRNA is involved in development of cancers. However, the function of miR-520f especially in human melanoma remains elusive. In the current study, the underlying function of miR-520f in human melanoma was investigated. Our study demonstrated that the miR-520f level in human melanoma cell lines and clinical tissues was increased. Overexpression of miR-520f promoted cell proliferation by using the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazole-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay, colony formation, anchorage-independent growth assay, and 5-bromo-2-deoxyuridine assays. Furthermore, we revealed that miR-520f could interact with circular RNA Itchy E3 ubiquitin protein ligase (ITCH) 3′-untranslated region and suppress ITCH expression in human melanoma cells. The inhibitory effect of miR-520f-in could be partially restored by knockdown of ITCH in human melanoma cells. In summary, this study provides novel insights into miR-520f act as a crucial role in the regulation of human melanoma cell growth via regulating ITCH, which might be a potential biomarker and therapeutic target of human melanoma.