Low expression of microRNA-30c promotes invasion by inducing epithelial mesenchymal transition in non-small cell lung cancer

MicroRNA (miR)-30c has been identified as a tumor suppressor gene in numerous diseases. Aberrant miR-30c expression has been associated with the invasion of different types of cancer. However, the potential mechanisms underlying the association between miR-30c and invasion has been poorly elucidated in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). In the present study, quantitative polymerase chain reaction demonstrated that the expression of miR-30c was reduced in lung cancer specimens (n=85). Suppressing the expression of miR-30c promoted the invasion of A549 cells, while overexpressed miR-30c inhibited the invasion of A549 cells. Furthermore, aberrant miR-30c expression was able to control the expression levels of markers (E-cadherin, snail and vimentin) of epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT). In conclusion, miR-30c regulated the invasion of NSCLC cells and low miR-30 levels induced EMT.