miR-150 represses metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma by targeting HMGA2

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play critical roles in carcinogenesis and tumor progression. However, the mechanism of miR-150 funcions as a tumor suppressor or oncogene remains controversial. In this study, we found that miR-150 was significantly increased in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tissues and cell lines. Overexpression of miR-150 suppressed HCC cell metastatic ability. miR-150 was a negative regulator of HMGA2 by directly combining with the 3'-UTR, and overexpression of miR-150 significantly inhibited the mRNA and protein expression levels of HMGA2. In addition, si-HMGA2 could partially attenuate the pro-oncogenic effects of anti-miR-150 on HCC cells. HMGA2 was inversely correlated with miR-150 in HCC tissues. Taken together, these results suggested that miR-150 inhibited HCC metastasis by targeting HMGA2 and might be used as a therapeutic target for the development of novel HCC treatment.