MicroRNA-1251-5p promotes tumor growth and metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma by targeting AKAP12.

MicroRNAs (miRNA) are small RNA molecules that have emerged as important regulators of gene expression in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the expression, function and mechanism of miR-1251-5p in HCC remain poorly understood. In the present study, it was observed that miR-1251-5p expression was upregulated in HCC. Furthermore, higher miR-1251-5p level was correlated with poor prognosis, large tumor size, vascular invasion and high tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) stages of HCC patients. Functionally, miR-1251-5p drove HCC cell proliferation, migration and invasion in vitro, and promoted growth and metastasis of HCC cells in vivo. A-kinase anchor protein 12 (AKAP12) was screened as a direct target of miR-1251-5p by using the starBase V3.0 online platform. The AKAP12 mRNA expression was downregulated and negatively correlated with miR-1251-5p level in HCC tissues. Furthermore, in vitro experiments confirmed that AKAP12 was targeted and negatively regulated by miR-1251-5p. Importantly, AKAP12 overexpression decreased HCC cell proliferation, migration and invasion, whereas inhibition of AKAP12 rescued the miR-1251-5p knockdown-attenuated HCC cell proliferation, migration and invasion. Overall, the present study indicates that miR-1251-5p plays an oncogenic role in HCC by targeting AKAP12, and may be a potential therapeutic target for HCC treatment.