miR-183-5p promotes proliferation and migration in hepatocellular carcinoma by targeting IRS1 and its association with patient survival.

Background: MiR-183-5p plays an important role in the pathophysiology of many tumors, while the role of MiR-183-5p in liver cancer is unclear.

Methods: In this study, quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting were used to detect the expression of miR-183-5p in liver cancer cell lines, liver cancer tissues, and normal tissues adjacent to the cancer, and to explore the mechanism of miR-183-5p regulating liver cancer progression. The in vitro effects of miR-183-5p were evaluated by CCK-8, colony formation test, and wound healing test. Various databases were used to predict the target mRNA of miR-183-5p and verified by luciferase report analysis. In addition, the effects of miR-183-5p and its target gene on the survival of patients with liver cancer were also analyzed.

Results: miR-183-5p was highly expressed in hepatocellular carcinoma cells and tissues, and was related to some clinicopathological features. MiR-183-5p can promote the proliferation and migration of liver cancer cells. Using the bioinformatics database, we proved that miR-183-5p is related to the survival of liver cancer patients. Insulin receptor substrate 1 (IRS1) is a target of miR-183-5p, and luciferase analysis confirmed that miR-183-5p combines with the 3'-untranslated region (3'-UTR) of IRS1.

Conclusion: The miR-183-5p/IRS1 axis may be a new target for liver cancer research.