Up-regulation of microRNA-200c-3p inhibits invasion and migration of renal cell carcinoma cells via the SOX2-dependent Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway

Background MicroRNA-200c-3p (miR-200c-3p) has been revealed to be related to renal cell carcinoma (RCC) progression, while the inner mechanisms remain unknown. In our study, we intend to unearth the capability of miR-200c-3p in RCC development via the Wnt/beta-catenin signaling pathway through binding to SOX2. Methods miR-200c-3p, SOX2, beta-catenin and GSK3 beta expression in both tissues and cells of RCC were detected by RT-qPCR or western blot analysis. miR-200c-3p was restored or silenced to determine their biological functions of RCC cells. Expression of SOX2 and related proteins in the Wnt/beta-catenin signaling pathway were evaluated by RT-qPCR and western blot analysis. The effect of the combination of downregulated miR-200c-3p and downregulated SOX2 on cell biological behavior change was also determined. Results Initially, we found that miR-200c-3p was declined while SOX2, beta-catenin and GSK3 beta was elevated in RCC tissues and cells. A498 cells with the largest difference in miR-200c-3p expression and OS-RC-2 cells with the smallest difference were selected for subsequent experiments. Additionally, upregulated miR-200c-3p and downregulated SOX2 was determined to suppress proliferation, migration, invasion and induce apoptosis of RCC cells. Furthermore, miR-200c-3p inhibited SOX2 to inactivate the Wnt/beta-catenin signaling pathway. Conclusion Collectively, this study highlights that upregulated miR-200c-3p inhibits expression of SOX2, thereby inhibiting development of RCC cells via modulating the Wnt/beta-catenin signaling pathway activation.