Knockdown of miR-214 Promotes Apoptosis and Inhibits Cell Proliferation in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma

MicroRNA-214 (MiR-214) is aberrantly expressed in several human tumors such as ovarian cancer and breast cancer. However, the role of miR-214 in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is still unknown. In this study, we report that miR-214 was overexpressed in NPC cell lines and tissues. Silencing of miR-214 by LNA-antimiR-214 in NPC cells resulted in promoting apoptosis and suppressing cell proliferation in vitro, and suppressed tumor growth in nude mice in vivo. Luciferase reporter assay was performed to identify Bim as a direct target of miR-214. Furthermore, this study showed that low Bim expression in NPC tissues correlated with poor survival of NPC patients. Taken together, our findings suggest that miR-214 plays an important role in NPC carcinogenesis.