miR-346 promotes migration and invasion of nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells via targeting BRMS1.

The aim of this study is to determine the expression and roles of miR-346 in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). We showed that miR-346 was upregulated in NPC tissues compared with adjacent non-tumorous nasopharyngeal tissues. Inhibition of miR-346 significantly attenuated the migration and invasion of NPC cells. Luciferase reporter assay showed that miR-346 targeted the 3'-untranslated region (3'-UTR) of breast cancer metastasis suppressor 1 (BRMS1). Overexpression of miR-346 suppressed the endogenous expression of BRMS1 in NPC cells. There was a significant negative correlation between miR-346 and BRMS1 protein expression in NPC tissues (r = -0.372, P = 0.008). Rescue experiments demonstrated that overexpression of BRMS1 lacking the 3'-UTR impaired the invasiveness of NPC cells transfected with miR-346 mimic. Taken together, miR-346 shows the ability to promote the migration and invasion of nasopharyngeal cancer cells via targeting BRMS1 and represents a potential therapeutic target for NPC.