MicroRNA‑195 inhibits cell proliferation, migration and invasion in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma by targeting ROCK1.

Abstract

Laryngeal carcinoma is the second most common malignancy of the head and neck cancers. The most common type of laryngeal carcinoma comprises laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC), which accounts for ~95% of laryngeal carcinoma cases. Despite great progress in diagnostic and therapeutic techniques over the last few decades, the prognosis for patients with LSCC remains poor. A number of studies reported that various miRNAs are dysregulated in LSCC and serve critical roles in LSCC tumorigenesis and tumor development. The present study aimed to evaluate the expression level of microRNA (miR)‑195 and its possible roles in LSCC. Briefly, miR‑195 was downregulated in LSCC tissues and cell lines. In addition, low miR‑195 expression was significantly correlated with lymph node metastasis and TNM stage of LSCC patients. Further study has demonstrated that miR‑195 overexpression suppressed cell proliferation, migration and invasion of LSCC. Moreover, rho‑associated kinase 1 (ROCK1) was identified as a direct target gene of miR‑195. Downregulation of ROCK1 exerted similar roles to that of miR‑195 overexpression in LSCC, suggesting ROCK1 was a direct downstream target of miR‑195. These findings elucidated a novel molecular mechanism for the pathogenic mechanism in LSCC carcinogenesis and progression, and may have a potential role in the treatment of patients with LSCC.