MicroRNA-206 inhibits the viability and migration of human lung adenocarcinoma cells partly by targeting MET.

MicroRNA (miRNA)-based targeting in cancer has emerged as a potential therapeutic strategy. miR-206 has recently been implicated in cancer. However, the role and molecular mechanism of miR-206 in lung adenocarcinoma are still unclear. The present study revealed that miR-206 was downregulated in human lung adenocarcinoma tissues. Overexpression of miR-206 in human lung adenocarcinoma-derived cells significantly inhibited cell viability and migration. Further experiments indicated that the overexpression of miR-206 decreased the expression of MET at the messenger RNA and protein levels via direct targeting of MET in a 3'-untranslated region-dependent manner. The knockdown of MET by small interfering RNA partly led to a phenocopy effect of miR-206. In conclusion, the present study identified miR-206 as a potential tumor suppressor of lung adenocarcinoma that exerts its functions, in part, by negative regulation of MET.