MicroRNA-145 inhibits migration and invasion via inhibition of fascin 1 protein expression in non-small-cell lung cancer cells.

MicroRNA (miR)-145 has been shown to act as a suppressor in numerous cancer types, including non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Fascin 1 (FSCN1), an actin bundling protein, has been implicated in NSCLC. However, the detailed role of miR-145 as well as the association between miR-145 and FSCN1 in the regulation of migration and invasion in NSCLC cells has remained elusive. The present study revealed that miR-145 was downregulated and FSCN1 was upregulated in NSCLC tissues and cell lines. Further investigation showed that overexpression of miR-145 markedly inhibited the protein expression of FSCN1, while knockdown of miR-145 upregulated the protein (but not mRNA) levels of FSCN1 in the NSCLC cell line H129. Moreover, a luciferase reporter assay indicated that FSCN1 is a direct target of miR-145 in NSCLC H129 cells. Furthermore, overexpression of miR-145 markedly inhibited the migration and invasion of NSCLC cells, similar to the effect of small interfering RNA-mediated FSCN1 inhibition in H129 cells. In addition, the inhibitory effect of miR-145 overexpression on migration and invasion was reversed by FSCN1 upregulation in H129 cells. These findings suggested that miR-145 has an inhibitory effect on the migration and invasion in NSCLC cells, at least in part through suppressing the protein expression of its target FSCN1. Therefore, miR-145/FSCN1 may be used as a potential target for the treatment of NSCLC.