MicroRNA-542-3p functions as a tumor suppressor via directly targeting survivin in hepatocellular carcinoma.

MicroRNA-542-3p (miR-542-3p) functions as a tumor suppressor in many human cancers, but its biological roles in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains to be further explored. In our study, we revealed that miR-542-3p was frequently down-expressed in HCC cell lines and tissues using real-time quantitative reverse-transcription PCR (qRT-PCR). Overexpression of miR-542-3p inhibits the proliferation of HCC cells via induction of apoptosis and cell cycle arrest. Furthermore, we confirmed that survivin was a direct target of miR-542-3p in HCC cells, and overexpression of survivin attenuated the miR-542-3p-induced inhibition of HCC cell proliferation. A negative association between miR-542-3p and survivin mRNA levels was also found in HCC tissues. These findings showed that miR-542-3p inhibits the proliferation of HCC cells by targeting survivin, indicating that miR-542-3p/survivin signaling axis might serve as a potential therapeutic target in the treatment of HCC.