MicroRNA-149 Suppresses Colorectal Cancer Cell Migration and Invasion by Directly Targeting Forkhead Box Transcription Factor FOXM1

Background/Aims: The aim of this study is to investigate the clinicopathological and prognostic values of miR-149 expression and its roles in colorectal cancer (CRC) progression. Methods: qRT-PCR was performed to detect miR-149 expression in CRC cell lines or tissues. Also, the clinical significance of miR-149 expression was investigated. The study further explored whether miR-149 inhibits migration and invasion of CRC cells by targeting the mammalian Forkhead Box M1 (FOXM1). Results: miR-149 was significantly downregulated in CRC tissues, and low miR-149 expression was observed to be significantly correlated with lymph node or distant metastasis and advanced TNM stage of CRC patients. Patients with low miR-149 expression showed poorer prognosis than those with high miR-149 expression, and multivariate analyses indicated that status of miR-149 expression might be an independent prognostic factor. Gain- and loss - of - function assays indicated that miR-149 significantly inhibited growth, migration and invasion of CRC cells by targeting FOXMl. Furthermore, FOXM1 was significantly upregulated in CRC tissues and inversely correlated with miR-149 expression. Conclusions: miR-149 was an independent prognostic factor and could inhibit migration and invasion of CRC cells, at least partially by targeting FOXMl. Copyright (C) 2015 S. Karger AG, Basel