Identification of miR-125a-5p as a tumor suppressor of renal cell carcinoma, regulating cellular proliferation, migration and apoptosis

miR-125a-5p has been previously described as a tumor suppressor in numerous malignancies, however the expression and function of miR-125a-5p in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) remains to be elucidated. In the present study, to explore the potential role of miR-125a-5p in RCC, quantitative polymerase chain reaction was used to determine the expression levels of miR-125a-5p in renal cancer tissues. The influence of miR-125a-5p on cell proliferation, migration and apoptosis was also determined, using an MTT assay, a wound scratch assay and flow cytometry, respectively. The expression of miR-125a-5p was shown to be decreased in RCC and the restoration of miR-125a-5p by synthetic mimics was shown to suppress cell proliferation and migration, and induce apoptosis. The present results indicate that miR-125a-5p may function as a tumor suppressor in RCC. The present study is, to the best of our knowledge, the first to demonstrate the downregulation of miR-125a-5p in RCC, and to show the role it has in affecting cellular proliferation, migration and apoptosis. Further research is needed to define the target genes of miR-125a-5p and explore the potential of miR-125a-5p as a diagnostic or a prognostic biomarker for RCC.