Micro-RNA-181a regulates osteopontin-dependent metastatic function in hepatocellular cancer cell lines.

Background: Osteopontin (OPN) is a variably expressed, secreted glycophosphoprotein that mediates the growth and metastases of hepatocellular cancer (HCC). MicroRNAs (miRNAs) may be responsible for variant OPN expression, interrupting translation by binding OPN messenger RNA (mRNA) in 3'-untranslated regions (UTRs).

Methods: A microarray analysis identified miRNAs of interest.