MicroRNA-613 inhibits proliferation and invasion of renal cell carcinoma cells through targeting FZD7

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have emerged as critical regulators in cancer progression. miR-613 has been reported as a tumor suppressor gene in many types of human cancers. However, the function of miR-613 in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) remains unclear. In the present study, the authors aimed to detect the expression of miR-613 and its function in RCC cell lines. miR-613 was reported to be significantly downregulated RCC cell lines. Functional analyses demonstrated that overexpression of miR-613 significantly decreased RCC cell proliferation and invasion. Bioinformatics analysis showed that Frizzled7 (FZD7) was a predicted target of miR-613, which was verified by dual-luciferase reporter assay, reverse transcription quantitative-polymerase chain reaction and western blot analysis. Restoration of FZD7 significantly reversed the suppressive effects of miR-613 on RCC cell proliferation and invasion. Taken together, the results of the present study indicated that miR-613 functions as a tumor suppressor that inhibits RCC cell proliferation and invasion by targeting and inhibiting FZD7, providing novel insight into RCC pathogenesis and a potential therapeutic target for RCC.