Upregulation of microRNA-337 promotes the proliferation of endometrial carcinoma cells via targeting PTEN

Endometrial carcinoma (EC) is a common malignancy in females. MicroRNAs (miRs) are a class of non-coding RNA that regulate a wide variety of cellular processes, and are important in the development of multiple types of malignancy. In the present study, cancerous and adjacent non-cancerous normal tissue samples were collected from 24 patients diagnosed with EC. Reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction was performed on the tissue samples to determine the expression levels of six candidate miRs. These miRs have been previously reported to be differentially expressed in EC; however, the present study observed that only miR-337 was differentially expressed. In addition, the current study identified phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) as a target of miR-337 using computational analysis and a luciferase assay. EC cells transfected with miR-337 mimics and anti-PTEN small interfering RNA demonstrated significantly decreased expression of PTEN, markedly increased proliferation and inhibition of cell apoptosis. The results indicate that miR-337 is oncogenic in EC cells, as it suppresses PTEN expression. This may facilitate the development of miR-based prevention or treatment strategies for EC.