miR‐874 directly targets AQP3 to inhibit cell proliferation, mobility and EMT in non‐small cell lung cancer

Non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is a major type of lung cancer with high morbidity and high mortality. miR‐874 has been determined to play a role in tumor suppression in several cancers. The purpose of our study was to detect the biological mechanisms of miR‐874 and AQP3 in NSCLC. Methods: CCK‐8 and Transwell assays were utilized to perform cell invasion.Western blot was employed to evaluate the protein expression. Results: The expression of miR‐874 was lower in NSCLC tissues than that of corresponding adjacent nontumor tissues. Downregulation of miR‐874 predicted a poor prognosis in NSCLC. The cell proliferation and mobility were suppressed by overexpression of miR‐874, which were promoted by knockdown of miR‐874 in A549 and H1299 cells. miR‐874 mediated the expression of AQP3 by directly binding to the 3′‐untranslated regions (UTR) of AQP3 mRNA in NSCLC cells. Moreover, miR‐874 inhibited the proliferation and mobility by targeting AQP3 and inhibited the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway in A549 cells. miR‐874 inhibited the growth of NSCLC in vivo. Conclusions: In conclusion, miR‐874 inhibited proliferation and mobility by regulating AQP3 in NSCLC. The newly identified miR‐874/AQP3 axis provides novel insight into the pathogenesis of NSCLC.