miR-140-5p inhibits cell proliferation and invasion in colorectal carcinoma by targeting SOX4.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been reported to influence the occurrence and development of colorectal carcinoma (CRC). In the current research, we explored miR-140-5p function in CRC. In addition, the molecular mechanisms of miR-140-5p/SOX4 axis for CRC were investigated. The miR-140-5p and SOX4 expression levels were evaluated via RT-qPCR or western blot analysis. The MTT and Transwell assay assessed cell proliferation and invasion. Luciferase assay confirmed that miR-140-5p directly targeted SOX4. Moreover, the results showed that miR-140-5p expression was obviously declined in CRC. The low expression of miR-140-5p was related to tumor stage or metastasis. The miR-140-5p overexpression suppressed cell proliferation and invasion in CRC. Moreover, miR-140-5p was identified to directly target SOX4 and the SOX4 expression was increased in CRC. In addition, the high expression of SOX4 promoted cell proliferation and invasion in CRC. The inhibiting effect of miR-140-5p on SOX4 was identified for CRC, and it inhibited the proliferation and invasion. The novel miR-140-5p/SOX4 axis may provide a new therapy for CRC.