MiR-486-5p Act as a Biomarker in Endometrial Carcinoma: Promotes Cell Proliferation, Migration, Invasion by Targeting MARK1

BACKGROUND: miRNA expression acts as a potential biomarker in many diseases including endometrial carcinoma (EC). miR-486-5p dysregulation is observed in several tumor types, but the roles of miR-486-5p in EC are hardly ever studied. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to analyze the expression profile of miR-486-5p in tumor tissues and serum samples of patients with EC and explore the target prediction, function analysis and validation in immortal cell lines. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 42 freshly paired EC tissues, the corresponding adjacent non-neoplastic tissues and serum samples were also collected from patients with EC, and 42 matched normal serum samples were included as control group. The level of miR-486-5p expression was tested by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Cell proliferation was determined by colony formation assay and CCK-8 assay. Furthermore, functional evaluation of miR-486-5p on migration was performed by wound-healing assay and invasion was estimated by transwell invasion assay. qRT-PCR, luciferase reporter assay and Western blotting (WB) were performed to verify the targeting of MARK1 by miR-486-5p. RESULTS: miR-486-5p was significantly up-regulated in EC tissues and serum samples, promoting the proliferation, migration and invasive activities of EC cells by targeting MARK1. CONCLUSION: These data indicated miR-486-5p as a novel molecular biomarker for diagnosing and treating EC, and MARK1 might act as a critical and functional target of miR-486-5p with the implications on cell proliferation, migration and invasiveness of EC tumor cells.