CCL18 Knockdown Suppresses Cell Growth and Migration in Thyroid Cancer

BACKGROUND: Chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 18 (CCL18) is a chemokine that plays a key role in immune and inflammatory responses. In recent years, CCL18 participates in the development and progression of various cancers, but its expression and role in thyroid cancer (TC) remain unclear. METHODS: RT-qPCR assay and Western blot assay were used to explore the expression level of CCL18 in TC tissues and cells. Cell proliferation was measured by MTT assay. Transwell assay was adopted to detect cell migration in TC cells. Dual luciferase reporter assay was performed to assess the relationship between CCL18 and miR-149-5p. RESULTS: There was an uptrend of CCL18 in TC tissues and cells. Our findings indicated that CCL18 overexpression facilitated lymph node metastasis in patients with TC. CCL18 silencing was found to inhibit cell migration, proliferation, and EMT progression in TC cells. CCL18 was proved to be a target gene of miR-149-5p. Additionally, miR-149-5p weakened the effect of CCL18 in the progression of TC. CONCLUSION: Therefore, our results indicated that CCL18 knockdown restrained TC progression and suggested that CCL18 might be a potential therapeutic target for TC.