miR-625 down-regulation promotes proliferation and invasion in esophageal cancer by targeting Sox2.

miR-625 has been reported to exhibit abnormal expression in esophageal cancer (EC), but the mechanism and functions of miR-625 in esophageal cancer remain unclear. miR-625 down-regulation and Sox2 up-regulation were validated by qRT-PCR in 158 EC samples. Low expression of miR-625 promotes cell proliferation and invasion, while high expression of miR-625 has the opposite effect. Sox2, a target gene of miR-625, was examined by luciferase assay and western blot. Our data suggest that miR-625 may regulate the biological processes of EC via controlling Sox2 expression.