MicroRNA-218 inhibits bladder cancer cell proliferation, migration, and invasion by targeting BMI-1

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are recognized as important molecules and have emerged as important gene regulators in tumorigenesis. Growing evidence suggested that miR-218 was a tumor suppressor in many human cancers. However, its underlying role in bladder cancer (BCa) remains unclear. The aim of this study was to explore the effect of miR-218 on the proliferation, migration, and invasion of BCa cells. We found that miR-218 was frequently downregulated in BCa tissues compared with normal adjacent tissues. In vitro and in vivo assays demonstrated that miR-218 overexpression in the BCa cells inhibited cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. Luciferase reporter assay showed that BMI-1 was a direct target of miR-218. In addition, we found that miR-218 regulated the expression of BMI-1 and its downstream target (PTEN) and participated in the phosphorylation of AKT. Our findings indicate that miR-218 functions as tumor suppressor in BCa, and the miR-218/BMI-1 axis may provide novel diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for the treatment of BCa.