MicroRNA-625-3p improved proliferation and involved chemotherapy resistance via targeting PTEN in high grade ovarian serous carcinoma

OBJECTIVE: High-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC) is an aggressive gynaecological malignancy and associated with poor prognosis. Here we examined the effects of miR-625-3p on proliferation, treatment, migration and invasion in HGSOC. METHODS: The proliferation of HGSOC cells was evaluated by MTT assay. Transwell assay was performed to examine migration and matrigel assay were used to assess invasion. The effect of miR-625-3p on cisplatin-induced apoptosis was investigated by Caspase-Glo3/7 assay. The dual-luciferase reporter assay was carried out to confirm the potential binding site. RESULTS: Overexpression of miR-625-3p promoted proliferation, and increased migration and invasion in HGSOC cells. MiR-625-3p significantly inhibited cisplatin sensitivity in HGSOC cells. Meanwhile, miR-625-3p decreased cisplatin-induced apoptosis by regulation of BAX and Bcl-2 expression. Furthermore, aberrant expression of miR-625-3p changed PTEN expression by directly binding to 3’UTR of PTEN. Further study showed miR-625-3p expression was higher in human HGSOC tissue than normal ovarian tissues and associated with higher clinical stage. CONCLUSIONS: miR-625-3p promotes HGSOC growth, involves chemotherapy resistance and might serve as a potential biomarker to predict chemotherapy response and prognosis in HGSOC.