Low mir-372 expression correlates with poor prognosis and tumor metastasis in hepatocellular carcinoma

Background: Recent studies have shown that miR- 372 plays important roles in hepatocellular carcinoma ( HCC) progression. However, results have been conflicting regarding its expression levels and role in HCC. Methods: RT- PCR and in situ hybridization was used to evaluate miR- 372 expression in HCC tissues and cell lines. The methylation status of neighboring CpG islands upstream of the miR- 372 promoter was analyzed by methylation- specific PCR ( MSP). Transfection of miR- 372 mimic into HCC cell lines was used to evaluate cellular proliferation and invasion. Prognostic significance was analyzed by the Kaplan- Meier survival method and Cox regression. Results: miR- 372 was expressed at lower levels in HCC tissues compared with controls and was related to tumor metastasis and poor prognosis. Hypermethylation of miR- 372 was detected in HCC cell lines and tissues, and miR- 372 expression was restored upon 5- aza- dCyd treatment. Upregulated expression by mir- 372 mimic transfection inhibited proliferation and invasion capacity in HCC cells. Conclusions: miR- 372 may play an important role in hepatic carcinogenesis and may serve as a new target or method to detect and treat HCC in the future.