MicroRNA-210 regulates cell proliferation and apoptosis by targeting regulator of differentiation 1 in glioblastoma cells

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small noncoding RNAs that negatively regulate protein biosynthesis and participate in the pathogenesis of various tumours. Previous studies have shown that miR-210 is highly expressed in different types of human cancers, including glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). However, the role that miR-210 plays in GBM remains unclear. Here, we detected the expression and examined the function of miRNA-210 in GBM cells. Furthermore, we investigated the possible molecular mechanisms by which miRNA-210 mediates cell proliferation and apoptosis. Fifteen GBM and five normal brain tissues, in addition to the U87MG and U251 GBM cell lines, were analysed in this study We found that miR-210 was upregulated in GBM tissues and cell lines when compared to normal brain tissue. Cell counting and flow cytometric assay results demonstrated that upregulation of miR-210 induced cell proliferation and decreased cell apoptosis, respectively In addition, downregulation of miR-210 inhibited cell proliferation and induced apoptosis. We also detected a miR-210 target, regulator of differentiation 1 (ROD 1), which is involved in GBM progression. Knockdown of ROD1 reversed the growth arrest and apoptosis that were originally induced by miR-210 inhibition. We propose that miR-210 regulates cell proliferation and apoptosis in GBM cells by targeting ROD1. Our findings may provide a new potential therapeutic target for the treatment of GBM.