MiR-485 inhibits metastasis and EMT of lung adenocarcinoma by targeting Flot2

Lung adenocarcinoma, as a common form of non-small cell lung cancer, poses a significant threat to public health worldwide. Previous studies have reported that flotillin-2 (Flot2) is often overexpressed in various tumors and is h correlated with tumor progression and patient survival. Dysregulated microRNA (miRNA) is associated with various cancers, including lung adenocarcinoma. However, little is known about the miRNAs targeting Flot2 in lung adenocarcinoma. In this study, we found that the expression level of miR-485 was downregulated in four lung adenocarcinoma cell lines and tissues and that the reduced miR-485 expression was associated with tumor metastasis. Luciferase assay revealed that Flot2 is direct target of miR-485, while the expression levels of Flot2 were inversely correlated with the expression levels of miR-485 in lung adenocarcinoma tissues. Ectopic Flot2 could significantly reverse miR-485-mediated inhibition of metastasis and EMT, demonstrating Flot2 downregulation is involved in function of miR-485. Subsequently, we found that miR-485 suppressed the activity of PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling in lung adenocarcinoma cells. In conclusion, the present study provided novel insight into the molecular mechanism of lung adenocarcinoma progression and demonstrating miR-485 as a potential therapeutic target in human lung adenocarcinoma. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier Inc.