MicroRNA-148b targets Rho-associated protein kinase 1 to inhibit cell proliferation, migration and invasion in hepatocellular carcinoma

microRNA(miR)-148b has been found to be downregulated in various human malignancies, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) as well as gastric, pancreatic, colon and oral cancer. However, the function of miR-148b in HCC has remained elusive. The present study examined the effects of miR-148b on the proliferation, migration and invasion of HCC cells in vitro. After transfection of the HepG2 and SMMC-7721 HCC cell lines with miR-148b, an MTT assay, a Transwell migration and invasion assay as well as western blot analysis were performed. miR-148b was shown to inhibit cell proliferation, migration and invasion in the two cell lines. Using a luciferase reporter assay, the present study also provided the first evidence that miR-148b directly targets Rho-associated protein kinase 1 in HCC. These results suggested that miR-148 may represent a novel molecular marker and a potential molecular therapeutic for inhibiting metastasis of HCC.