MicroRNA-802 suppresses breast cancer proliferation through downregulation of FoxM1.

An increasing number of studies have shown that microRNAs (miRNAs) are critical in tumor cell proliferation, as they modulate key gene transcripts. In the present study, the expression and roles of miRNA (miR)‑802 were analyzed by quantitative polymerase chain reaction in breast cancer cells. The results showed that expression levels of miR‑802 were significantly reduced in breast cancer tissues and cells compared with those of normal tissue and normal breast epithelial cells. In vitro and in vivo experiments demonstrated that miR‑802 overexpression inhibited cell proliferation in MCF‑7 breast cancer cells and tumor growth in nude mice, respectively. Furthermore, mechanistic investigation with western blotting and luciferase reporter assays revealed that miR‑802 overexpression downregulated protein expression levels of Forkhead box protein M1 (FoxM1). Therefore, the results of the present study provided evidence for a previously undetermined miR‑802/FoxM1 molecular network, which was involved in the regulation of breast cancer cell proliferation.