MicroRNA‑744 inhibits migration and invasion of hepatocellular carcinoma cells by targeting SOX12.

MicroRNA‑744 (miR‑744) reportedly plays an oncogenic or tumor‑suppressive role in different human malignancies. Although a previous study demonstrated that miR‑744 significantly inhibits hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) proliferation in vitro, the role of miR‑744 in the migration and invasion of HCC cells remains largely unknown. The present study investigated the significance of miR‑744 in HCC tissues and cell lines and evaluated its role and underlying mechanism of action in HCC cells. miR‑744 expression was detected in HCC tissues and cell lines by reverse transcription‑quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT‑qPCR). The effect of miR‑744 on cell proliferation, migration and invasion was determined using Cell Counting Kit‑8, wound‑healing and Matrigel invasion assays, respectively. Targeting gene of miR‑744 in HCC cells was determined by luciferase reporter assay, RT‑qPCR and western blotting. It was revealed that miR‑744 was poorly expressed in HCC tissues compared with adjacent normal tissues (P<0.05), and that decreased miR‑744 levels were significantly associated with the tumor node metastasis stage and lymph node metastasis. Additionally, restoration of miR‑744 in HCC cells significantly suppressed their proliferation, migration, and invasion. Furthermore, sex determining region Y‑box 12 (SOX12) was identified as a functional target of miR‑744 in HCC cells, and its expression was demonstrated to be upregulated in HCC tissues and inversely correlated with the expression of miR‑744. Notably, overexpression of SOX12 antagonized the suppressive effect of miR‑744 on HCC cell migration and invasion. These findings suggested that miR‑744 inhibited migration and invasion by targeting SOX12, and that it may represent a therapeutic target for the treatment of metastatic HCC.