MicroRNA-133b inhibits the migration and invasion of non small cell lung cancer cells via targeting FSCN1.

MicroRNA (miR)-133b has been reported to act as a tumor suppressor in multiple types of human cancers, including non small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, the underlying mechanism by which miR-133b inhibits NSCLC metastasis remains largely unclear. In the present study, reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blotting were used to detect messenger RNA and protein expression. A wound healing assay and transwell assay were used to examine the cell migration and invasion. The expression level of miR-133b was found to be significantly downregulated in NSCLC cell lines compared with normal lung epithelial BEAS-2B cells. Further investigation identified fascin1 (FSCN1) as a direct target of miR-133b in NSCLC cells. The expression of FSCN1 was significantly increased in NSCLC cell lines compared with BEAS-2B cells, and its protein expression was negatively regulated by miR-133b in NSCLC A549 cells. Further investigation showed that the upregulation of miR-133b notably inhibited NSCLC cell migration and invasion, while the overexpression of FSCN1 significantly promoted NSCLC cell migration and invasion. Furthermore, the overexpression of FSCN1 reversed the suppressive effect of miR-133b overexpression on NSCLC cell migration and invasion. Accordingly, the present study suggests that miR-133b inhibits the migration and invasion of NSCLC cells via directly targeting FSCN1, and thus may be used for the treatment of NSCLC metastasis.