MicroRNA-149 targets specificity protein 1 to suppress human tongue squamous cell carcinoma cell proliferation and motility.

The expression and function of microRNA-149 have been studied in numerous types of cancer. However, thus far, there are no studies of microRNA-149 in tongue squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC). The present study investigated the expression, biological function and molecular mechanism of microRNA-149 in TSCC in vitro, discussing whether it may be a therapeutic biomarker of TSCC in the future. In the present study, microRNA-149 expression in TSCC tissues, matched normal adjacent tissues, TSCC cell lines and normal gingival epithelial cells were analyzed using quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Following transfection with microRNA-149 mimics, cell proliferation, migration and invasion assays, a luciferase assay and western blotting were performed. The present study found that the expression of microRNA-149 was significantly decreased in TSCC tissues and cell lines compared with matched normal tissue and normal gingival epithelial cells, respectively. In addition, it was also demonstrated that microRNA-149 inhibited cell proliferation, migration and invasion by directly targeting specificity protein 1. Therefore, the results suggested that microRNA-149 may be a novel target for TSCC therapy in the future.