MiR-431 inhibits cell proliferation and induces cell apoptosis by targeting CDK14 in pancreatic cancer

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the role of miR-431 in the proliferation and apoptosis of pancreatic cancer cells. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The pancreatic cancer cell was used for in vitro experiments. Quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) method was used to confirm the level of miR-431. Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) was used to detect the effect of miR-431 on cell proliferation. Flow cytometry was used to evaluate cell apoptosis rate and the changes of cell cycle arrest. The luciferase reporter assay was used to confirm the regulatory mechanism. RESULTS: MiR-431 expression was reduced both in cancer tissues and cell lines. Cell proliferative ability was effectively lessened after up-regulating miR-431. Elevated miR-431 significantly induced cell apoptosis and modulated cell cycle arrest. Meanwhile, CDK14 (cyclin-dependent kinase 14) was a target gene of miR-431, and over-expression of miR-431 decreased the level of CDK14. CONCLUSIONS: MiR-431 inhibits cell proliferation and induces cell apoptosis by targeting CDK14 in pancreatic cancer.