MicroRNA-182 targets FOXF2 to promote the development of triple-negative breast cancer

To explore the function of microRNA-182 (miR-182) on MCF7 and MDA-MB-231 cells behaviors, and possible mechanisms of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) development. Totally, 30 TNBC patients were enrolled to investigate the correlation between miR-182 expression and TNBC clinical indicators. miR-182 expression in TNBC tissues was measured by qRT-PCR, followed by bioinformatics methods and luciferase reporter assay to investigate whether FOXF2 was a direct target of miR182. Besides, miR-182 mimics were transfected into MCF7 cells while miR-182 inhibitor into MDA-MB-231 cells, followed by cell proliferation and migration detection. miR-182 expression was significantly correlated with TNBC clinical indicators, such as lymph node metastasis TNM (stage III), intravascular cancer emboli and TNBC recurrence and metastasis. miR-182 expression was significantly higher in TNBC tissues than that in matched normal tissues, and was significantly higher in MDA-MB-231 cells than that in MCF7 cells. miR-182 knockdown inhibited the proliferation and migration of MDA-MB-231 cells while miR-182 overexpression markedly promoted the proliferation and migration of MCF7 cells. Besides, FOXF2 was identified as a direct target of miR-182. Our findings indicate that miR-182 may promote cell proliferation and migration in TNBC possible via down-regulation of FOXF2. miR-182 may serve as a potential target in TNBC treatment.