Expression of miR-181a in human clear cell renal carcinoma and its effect on biological behavior of clear cell renal carcinoma 786-O cells

Objective To investigate the expression of miR-181a in patients with clear cell renal carcinoma (ccRCC) and its effect on biological behaviors of human ccRCC cell line 786-O. Methods The expression of miR-181a in 42 tumor tissues and paired adjacent normal tissues of ccRCC, and ccRCC cell lines 786-O, 769-P, A498, caki-1 were detected by qRT-PCR. Chemically synthesized miR-181a mimics or inhibitor were transfected into ccRCC cell line 786-O, then its proliferation was observed by MTS assay and its cell cycle and apoptosis were detected by flow cytometric analysis. Results Compared with adjacent noncancerous tissues, miR-181a expression increased significantly in ccRCC tissues, and it was also significantly higher in cell lines 786-O, 769-P, A498, caki-1 than in human kidney tubule epithelial cell (HKC). miR-181a mimics significantly promoted cell proliferation, G1/S transition in cell cycle and inhibited cell apoptosis in ccRCC cell line 786-O, however, miR-181a inhibitor significantly inhibited cell proliferation, arrested cells in G1 phase while promoted cell apoptosis. Conclusion The miR-181a expresses highly in ccRCC and also participates in the occurrence and development of tumor, which may be a valuable prognostic predictor and a potential therapeutic target of ccRCC.