miR-486-5p suppresses prostate cancer metastasis by targeting Snail and regulating epithelial–mesenchymal transition

The most common cause of death from prostate cancer (PCa) is metastases. There is an increasing body of evidence that microRNAs play an important role in the development of PCa by regulating target genes involved in tumor metastasis. Here, we identified that expression of miR-486-5p was decreased in metastatic C4-2 cells compared to non-metastatic LNCaP cells. Further validation in clinical samples showed that miR-486-5p expression was significantly decreased in metastatic PCa tissues compared to localized PCa tissues. Functional studies demonstrated that increased miR-486-5p expression can suppress cell migration and the invasive ability of C4-2 cells. Moreover, Snail, a key regulator of the epithelial-mesenchymal transition, was verified as a target gene of miR-486-5p. In conclusion, these findings suggest that miR-486-5p plays a suppressive role in mediating the migration and invasion of PCa by directly suppressing the protein expression of Snail and may provide a potential therapeutic target for the disease.