MicroRNA-381 targets G protein-Coupled receptor 34 (GPR34) to regulate the growth, migration and invasion of human cervical cancer cells.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have emerged as the vital post-transcriptional regulators and control the growth and progression of different cancers types. The current study aimed at exploration of the role of microRNA-381 (miRNA-381) in human cervical cancer with emphasis on the evaluation of the underlying molecular mechanism. The results revealed a significant (P < 0.05) downregulation of miRNA-381 was found in cervical cancer tissues and cancer cell lines. Overexpression of miRNA-381 in cervical cancer cells significantly (P < 0.05) inhibited their proliferation through the induction of cell apoptosis which was accompanied by depletion of Bcl-2 and increase in Bax expression. Additionally, the cleavage of caspase-3 and 9 was also activated upon miRNA-381 overexpression. The Overexpression of miRNA-381 further inhibited the migration and invasion of cervical cancer cells. In silico analysis together with dual luciferase assay revealed G protein-Coupled receptor 34 (GPR34) to be the target of miRNA-381. The expression of GPR34 was significantly (P < 0.05) upregulated in the cervical cancer tissues and cell lines. Nonetheless, miRNA-381 overexpression caused a remarkable decrease in the expression of GPR34. The GPR34 knockdown and overexpression proved that the tumor-suppressive effects of miRNA-381 are mediated via GPR34. The study elucidated the essence of miRNA-381/GPR34 molecular regulatory axis in cervical cancer and unraveled the possibility of targeting this molecular axis as an important therapeutic approach against human cervical cancer.