miR-98 suppresses tumor cell growth and metastasis by targeting IGF1R in oral squamous cell carcinoma.

Increasing evidences indicate that dysregulation of miRNAs contributes to the pathogenesis of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). However, little is known about the potential role of miR-98 in OSCC. Here, we found that miR-98 was downregulated in OSCC tissues and cell lines. Overexpression of miR-98 inhibited proliferation, colony formation, migration, and invasion of OSCC cells. IGF1R was identified as the potential target of miR-98 using dual luciferase assay, qRT-PCR and western blot. Furthermore, restoration of IGF1R remarkably reversed the tumor-suppressive effects of miR-98 on OSCC cells. Moreover, miR-98 expression was inversely correlated with IGF1R expression in 19 cases of OSCC. These findings suggest that miR-98 inhibits cancer cell growth and metastasis by direct targeting IGF1R, implicating miR-98 as a novel potential therapeutic target for OSCC.