miR‐92a‐3p promotes breast cancer proliferation by regulating the KLF2/BIRC5 axis

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer remains the most common malignancy in females around the world. Recently, a growing number of studies have focused on gene dysregulation. In our previous study, Krüppel‐like factors (KLFs) were found to play essential roles in breast cancer development, among which KLF2 could function as a tumor suppressor. Nevertheless, the underlying molecular mechanism remains unclear. METHODS: miR‐92a‐3p was identified as the upstream regulator of KLF2 by starBase v.3.0. The regulation of KLF2 by miR‐92a‐3p was verified by a series of in vitro and in vivo assays. Further exploration revealed that Baculoviral IAP Repeat Containing 5 (BIRC5) was the target of KLF2. ChIP assay, dual‐luciferase reporter analysis, quantitative real‐time PCR, and western blot were performed for verification. RESULTS: miR‐92a‐3p functioned as a tumor promoter by inhibiting KLF2 by binding to its 3'‐untranslated region (3'‐UTR). In addition, KLF2 could transcriptionally suppress the expression of BIRC5. CONCLUSION: Collectively, our results uncovered the miR‐92a‐3p/KLF2/BIRC5 axis in breast cancer and provided a potential mechanism for breast cancer development, which may serve as promising strategies for breast cancer therapy.