Inhibitory effect of microRNA-605-3p on biological functions of melanoma A375 cells via wnt11

Aims: The aim of the present study is to examine microRNA (miRNA or miR)-605-3p expression in melanoma at tissue and cellular levels, and to understand its biological roles. Methods: A total of 45 melanoma patients (27 males and 18 females) were enrolled in this research. To measure the expression of miR-605-3p, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction was employed. Melanoma A375 cells were transfected with miR-605-3p mimics or inhibitor. CCK-8 assay was used to investigate the proliferation of a375 cells. To study migration and invasion abilities of A375 cells, Transwell assay was carried out. To determine the expression of wnt11 protein, we used Western blotting. Rescue assay was utilized to study the biological roles in A375 cells. To test whether wnt11 is the direct target of miR-605-3p, dual luciferase reporter assay was performed. Results: Expression of miR-605-3p in melanoma tissues was decreased, and negatively correlated with lymph node metastasis and clinical staging. In vitro, expression of miR-605-3p inhibited the proliferation of melanoma A375 cells. Moreover, expression of miR-605-3p suppressed migration and invasion abilities of melanoma A375 cells. Interestingly, miR-605-3p regulated the expression of wnt11 protein in A375 cells. Of note, wnt11 promoted the proliferation, migration and invasion abilities of melanoma A375 cells. Dual luciferase reporter assay showed that miR-605-3p was able to bind with the 3’-untranslated region seed region of wnt11 mRNA to regulate its expression. Conclusion: The present study shows that miR-605-3p expression is decreased in melanoma tissues. In addition, miR-605-3p is negatively correlated with lymph node metastasis and clinical staging. As a tumor-suppressor gene, miR-605-3p inhibits the proliferation, migration and invasion of melanoma A375 cells by suppressing the expression of wnt11.