miR-101 regulates expression of EZH2 and contributes to progression of and cisplatin resistance in epithelial ovarian cancer

In order to determine the expression pattern of miR-101 in epithelial ovarian neoplasms and assess the functions and mechanism of miR-101 in tumorigenesis, we detected the expression of miR-101 and zeste homolog 2 (EZH2) in normal, benign, and malignant ovarian tissues and used miR-101 lentivirus infection to increase miR-101 expression in ovarian cancer cells and drug-resistant cancer cells. We found that miR-101 was underexpressed in epithelial ovarian cancer tissues, which significantly correlated with poor cell differentiation, advanced International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stages, and ovarian cancer cell cisplatin resistance. miR-101 overexpression decreased the expression of EZH2, reduced proliferation and migration of ovarian cancer cells, and resensitized drug-resistant cancer cells to cisplatin-induced cytotoxicity, suggesting the important role miR-101 plays in ovarian cancer that may be associated with its function as a regulator targeting EZH2. Our findings show the potential of miR-101 as a diagnostic marker and new therapeutic target for patients with epithelial ovarian cancer.