miRNA-186 inhibits prostate cancer cell proliferation and tumor growth by targeting YY1 and CDK6

microRNAs (miRNAs) are known to be important in tumor initiation and progression. Recent studies have demonstrated that miR-186 is critical in several types of cancer, including human non-small cell lung cancer, bladder cancer and pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. However, the functions of miR-186 in prostate cancer (PCa) are still unclear. In the present study, downregulation of miR-186 in PCa cells was detected when compared with the normal prostate cell line. When miR-186 overexpressed in PCa cells, cell proliferation in vitro was evidently inhibited as shown using cell counting kit-8 assays and cell-cycle analysis, and tumor growth in vivo was decreased as shown by tumor growth assays in nude mice. Furthermore, through bioinformatics prediction and biochemical analyses, Yin Yang 1 (YY1) and cyclin-dependent kinase 6 (CDK6) have been proven to act as direct targets of miR-186. These results indicate that miR-186 is a negative regulator in PCa by inhibiting PCa cell proliferation via targeting YY1 and CDK6.