miR-214-5p Targets ROCK1 and Suppresses Proliferation and Invasion of Human Osteosarcoma Cells

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small conserved RNAs regulating specific target genes in posttranscriptional levels. They have been involved in multiple processes of tumor progression, including cell proliferation. miR-214-5p (also miR-214*) is a newly identified miRNA, and its functions are largely unknown. In this study, we explore the role of miR-214-5p in the proliferation and invasion of human osteosarcoma (OS) cells. The results showed that miR-214-5p was sharply reduced in OS tissues and cell lines, compared with normal tissues and cell lines. In addition, the miR-214-5p mimic greatly increased the miR-214-5p level and significantly decreased the proliferation and invasion of HOS and G293 OS cells. In contrast, the miR-214-5p inhibitor had a completely opposite effect on the miR-214-5p level, cell proliferation, and cell invasion. Moreover, bioinformatics and luciferase reporter gene assays confirmed that miR-1908 targeted the mRNA 3′-UTR region of ROCK1, a characterized tumor promoter in OS. In conclusion, miR-214-5p was identified as a new tumor suppressor, which directly targeted ROCK1 and suppressed proliferation of human OS cells.