MicroRNA-370 suppresses SOX12 transcription and acts as a tumor suppressor in bladder cancer

OBJECTIVE: Dysregulation of microRNA-370 (miR-370) is involved in a variety of cancers, but its roles in bladder cancer ( BC) remain largely unexplored. Therefore, we designed this study to explore the role of miR370 in BC. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We took advantage of biochemical assays, including RT-qPCR, Western blot, CCK- 8, flow cytometry, transwell, xenograft tumor formation, and immunohistochemistry (IHC) for research. RESULTS: The expression of miR- 370 was found to be downregulated during the development of BC, highly correlating with the malignant transformation of tumors. The overexpression of miR- 370 led to enhanced apoptosis in BC cells, while inhibiting cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, effectively blocking cancer metastasis. Additionally, we identified SOX12, a known human oncogene, as a direct target of miR- 370, showing that upregulation of SOX12 attenuated miR-370-mediated tumor suppression, promoted tumor growth, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in BC. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, these findings help to elucidate the roles of miR-370 as a tumor suppressor in BC, providing a potential target for diagnosis and treatment of BC.