Tumor suppressor LHX6 upregulation contributes to the inhibitory effect of miR-346 knockdown on colorectal cancer cell growth.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the prevalent types of human malignancies and ranks as the second leading cause of cancer-associated death worldwide. Dysregulated miRNAs have been promulgated as oncogenes or tumor-suppressive genes participating in the initiation and progression of CRC. A recent study reported that miR-346 was highly expressed in CRC patients. However, the biological role and underlying mechanism of miR-346 in CRC remain elusive. qRT-PCR and western blot assays were employed to detect miR-346 and LIM homeobox domain 6 (LHX6) expression in CRC cells. Cell proliferation was evaluated by CCK-8 and BrdU assays. Apoptosis was evaluated by TUNEL assay. The interaction between miR-346 and LHX6 was assessed by luciferase reporter assay. Results showed that miR-346 expression was increased and LHX6 expression was reduced in CRC cells. miR-346 knockdown and LHX6 overexpression inhibited proliferation and promoted apoptosis of CRC cells. Additionally, we found that miR-346 negatively regulated LHX6 expression in CRC cells by directly targeting LHX6. LHX6 knockdown partially attenuated anti-miR-346-induced proliferation reduction and apoptosis promotion in CRC cells. Furthermore, miR-346 knockdown inhibited the protein kinase B (Akt)/mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway in CRC cells by targeting LHX6. The present study indicated that miR-346 knockdown repressed cell growth in CRC cells by upregulating LHX6, and this was associated with inactivation of the Akt/mTOR pathway.