MiR-539-3p promotes the progression of epithelial ovarian cancer by targeting SPARCL1

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of microRNA-539-3p (miR-539-3p) on the development of epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC), and to explore the possible underlying mechanism. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 40 paired EOC tissues and adjacent normal ovarian tissues were surgically resected in Hanchuan People's Hospital. Quantitative Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction (qRT-PCR) was used to detect the expression of miR-5393p in EOC tissues and cell lines. Targeted regulatory mechanism of miR-539-3p on SPARC-like protein 1 (SPARCL1) was identified by luciferase reporter and Western blot assays. Furthermore, the effects of miR-539-3p/SPARCL1 axis on the malignant behaviors of EOC cells, including proliferation, invasion and migration abilities, were confirmed by cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8), transwell and scratch wound assays. RESULTS: QRT-PCR showed that the expression of miR-539-3p was significantly up-regulated in EOC tissues and cell lines. SPARCL1 was a direct target of miR-539-3p in EOC cells. Overexpression of miR-539-3p significantly promoted the proliferation, migration and invasion of SKOV3 cells. Furthermore, co-transfection of miR-539-3p inhibitor and si-SPARCL1 could remarkably restore the migration and invasion abilities of SKOV3 cells. CONCLUSIONS: MiR-539-3p acted as an oncogene in EOC by targeting SPARCL1. MiR-5393p/SPARCL1 axis, as a target for the treatment of EOC, might become a feasible and new method of tumor treatment.