Downregulation of MiR-1538 promotes proliferation and metastasis of colorectal cancer by targeting DNMT3A.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a common malignant tumor of digestive tract, but the molecular mechanism of its occurrence and development is not clear. Some studies have shown that microRNA (miRNA) plays an important role in the occurrence and development of cancer, but many miRNAs which play an important role in the progression of CRC remain to be investigated. In this study，we found that the expression of miR-1538 was significantly down-regulated in CRC tissues and cells, and its expression level was significantly correlated with tumor size, clinical stage and prognosis. Functional and mechanism experiments showed that miR-1538 decreased the protein level of DNA methyltransferases 3A (DNMT3A) and inhibited the proliferation, migration and invasion of CRC cells by targeting the 3'-UTR of DNMT3A mRNA. Our results identify the biological function and mechanism of miR-1538 as a tumor suppressor gene in the progression of CRC, and suggest that miR-1538 can be used as a potential prognostic marker and therapeutic target for CRC.