miR-3191 promotes the proliferation and metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma via regulating PAK6

BACKGROUND/AIMS: microRNAs (miRNAs) contribute to tumorigenesis, progression and drug resistance of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). miR-3191 is a newly discovered miRNA, and its function and mechanism of action in biological processes and diseases are not completely understood.

METHODS: miR-3191 expression is determined via quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Knockdown and overexpression of miR-3191 influence the proliferation and metastasis of HCC cells, which is measured by Cell Counting Kit-8 assay, Colony Formation assay and Cell metastasis assay. Protein expression is estimated by Western blot. The interplay between miR-3191 and target is validated by dual-luciferase reporter assay.

RESULTS: Here, we show that miR-3191 is upregulated in HCC tissues and associated with poor prognosis of HCC patients. Mechanistically, p21-activated protein kinase 6 (PAK6) was identified as a direct target of miR‑3191 in HCC. PAK6 knockdown partially recovered interference of miR‑3191‑induced decrease in cell proliferation and invasion. The accuracy of HCC patient prognosis could be improved by employing a combination of miR-3191 and PAK6 values.

CONCLUSIONS: miR-3191 promotes the proliferation and metastasis of HCC cells via targeting PAK6 and may serve as a prognostic biomarker and potential therapeutic target.