MiR-137 regulates the proliferation and invasion of glioma cells through EZH2/Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play critical roles in tumor development. In the present study, we explored the role of miR-137 in glioma progression. Our data showed that the miR-137 expression was reduced in glioma tissues and cell lines and reduced expression of miR-137 was corrected with tumor progression. Luciferase assay suggested that EZH2 is a direct target of miR-137, while EZH2 expression was inversely correlated with miR-137 expression in glioma tissues. Overexpression of EZH2 significantly reversed miR-137 mediated inhibition of proliferation and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), suggesting EZH2 upregulation is involved in the function of miR-137. Furthermore, our data showed that miR-137 inhibited the activity of Wnt/beta-catenin signaling pathway in glioma cells. In summary, our study provided that miR-137 could act as a tumor suppressor by targeting EZH2 in glioma cells, and might be useful for developing a novel therapeutic target for glioma.