Androgen downregulation of miR-760 promotes prostate cancer cell growth by regulating IL6

Prostate cancer (PCa) is one of the most common malignancies in Western countries. Studies have shown that androgen contributes to the progression of PCa, but how androgen promotes PCa remains largely unknown. Here, we demonstrated that androgen suppressed the expression of miR-760 depending on the interaction between androgen and androgen receptor (AR). miR-760 was downregulated in prostate cancer tissues compared with normal tissues. Functional experiments showed that miR-760 downregulation promoted the proliferation and growth of LNCaP and 22rv1 cells. In contrast, miR-760 ectopic expression inhibited the proliferation of LNCaP and 22rv1 cells. DNA synthesis was suppressed by miR-760. Mechanistically, miR-760 bound to the 3'UTR of interleukin 6 (IL6). A mutation in the binding site disrupted their interaction. In addition, silencing of IL6 suppressed the proliferation of LNCaP and 22rv1 cells. IL6 was upregulated in PCa tissues. Our study reveals that androgen downregulates miR-760 to promote the growth of PCa cells by regulating IL6.