MiR-506 suppresses proliferation and invasion of bladder cancer by targeting FOXQ1

FOXQ1 (Forkhead box protein Q1), a member of the forkhead family of transcription factors, is implicated in progression of various cancers. However, the modulation of FOXQ1 expression in human bladder cancer at post-transcriptional levels remains unclear. In this study, luciferase assay revealed that miR-506 was able to target 3'-untranslated region (3'-UTR) of FOXQ1. Furthermore, quantitative PCR and western blot assay demonstrated that miR-506 was able to suppress the expression of FOXQ1 at the levels of mRNA and protein. miR-506 expression was downregulated in bladder cancer tissue and cell lines, and overexpressed miR-506 significantly attenuated cellular proliferation and invasion. The rescue experiment confirmed that miR-506 exerted its biological functions by targeting FOXQ1. Collectively, our study demonstrates that miR-506 can impair the proliferation or metastasis of human bladder cancer cells by downregulation of FOXQ1.