MicroRNA-144 suppresses aggressive phenotypes of tumor cells by targeting ANO1 in colorectal cancer

The aim of the present study was to research the mechanism of action of microRNA-144 (miR-144) in colorectal cancer (CRC) and its role in tumor progression. It was demonstrated that miR-144 was downregulated and anoctamin 1 (ANO1) expression was upregulated in CRC. The expression of ANO1 was negatively associated with that of miR-144 in CRC. The present study indicated that upregulated expression of ANO1 was associated with poor differentiation and advanced tumor-node-metastasis stage. It was verified that upregulation of ANO1 expression activated the epidermal growth factor receptor/extracellular signal-regulated kinase signaling pathway. It was also demonstrated that miR-144 exerts strong tumor-inhibiting effects by targeting ANO1. Therefore, miR-144 may have potential as a prognostic marker or therapeutic target for CRC.