MiR-613 inhibits the proliferation, migration, and invasion of papillary thyroid carcinoma cells by directly targeting TAGLN2

BACKGROUND: Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC), with a rapidly increasing incidence, is the most prevalent malignant cancer of the thyroid. However, its pathogenesis is unclear and its specific clinical indicators have not yet been identified. There is increasing evidence that microRNAs (miRNAs) play important roles in tumor occurrence and progression. Specifically, miR-613 participates in the regulation of tumor development in various cancers; however, its effects and mechanisms of action in PTC are still unclear. Therefore, in this study, we investigated the expression and function of miR-613 in PTC. METHODS: qRT-PCR was used to determine miR-613 expression in 107 pairs of PTC and adjacent-normal tissues as well as in PTC cell lines and to detect TAGLN2 mRNA expression in PTC tissues and adjacent normal tissues. Western blot analysis was performed to identify TAGLN2 and epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) biomarkers. The effects of miR-613 on PTC progression were evaluated by performing MTS, wound-healing, and Transwell assays in vitro. Luciferase reporter assays were also performed to validate the target of miR-613. RESULTS: In PTC, miR-613 was significantly downregulated and its low expression level was associated with cervical lymph node metastasis. However, its overexpression significantly suppressed PTC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion and inhibited EMT. TAGLN2 was identified as a target of miR-613, which also significantly inhibited the expression of TAGLN2. Further, the restoration of TAGLN2 expression attenuated the inhibitory effects of miR-613 on PTC cell proliferation and metastasis. CONCLUSION: Our findings demonstrated that miR-613 can suppress the progression of PTC cells by targeting TAGLN2, indicating that miR-613 plays the role of a tumor suppressor in PTC. Overall, these results suggest that the upregulation of miR-613 is a promising therapeutic strategy for PTC. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12935-021-02083-8.