MiR-125b promotes migration and invasion by targeting the vitamin D receptor in renal cell carcinoma

Purpose: To investigate the expression of miR-125b and vitamin D receptor (VDR) in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and assess the biological function of miR-125b in RCC. Methods: We used quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) to detect the expression of nucleic acids and western blotting to analyze the protein abundance in RCC cell lines. MiR-125b mimic and inhibitor were employed to investigate the function and behavior of miR-125b in RCC cell lines. The relationship between miR-125 and VDR was verified using luciferase assays. Results: Overexpression of miR-125b promoted migration and invasion and prevent cell apoptosis in ACHN cells. In contrast, miR-125b deficiency suppressed migration and invasion and induced cell apoptosis in 786-O cells. Luciferase assays indicated the interaction between miR-125b and VDR. In collected samples, miR-125b was significantly higher in RCC tissues and negatively correlated to VDR (r=-0.444, p=0.04). Conclusion: MiR-125b displays an oncogene profile in RCC, patients with high expression of miR-125b should be a more frequent follow-up. MiR-125B may be a potential therapeutic target for RCC.