Overexpression of miR-425-5p is associated with poor prognosis and tumor progression in non-small cell lung cancer

BACKGROUND: MicroRNA-425-5p (miR-425-5p) has been investigated in some human cancers, but the understanding of its clinical and functional roles in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains poor. OBJECTIVE: This study sought to measure the expression of miR-425-5p in NSCLC samples, assess its prognostic significance in cancer patients, and explore its functional role during tumor progression. METHODS: Expression of miR-425-5p was examined using quantitative Real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and Cox analysis were conducted to evaluate the prognostic value of miR-425-5p. The effects of miR-425-5p on NSCLC cell proliferation, migration and invasion were assessed using cell experiments. RESULTS: Expression of miR-425-5p was upregulated in NSCLC tissues and cells compared with the normal controls (all P < 0.05). The increased miR-425-5p expression was associated with positive lymph node metastasis and TNM advanced stage of the patients (all P < 0.05). The survival curves and Cox analysis indicated that high miR-425-5p was correlated with poor overall survival and acted as an independent prognostic factor in NSCLC patients. Cell experiments suggested that miR-425-5p overexpression could enhance, whereas its reduction could suppress NSCLC cell proliferation, migration and invasion (all P < 0.05). Forhead box J3 (FOXJ3) was proved to be a direct target of miR-425-5p in NSCLC. CONCLUSIONS: Overexpression of miR-425-5p predicts poor prognosis of NSCLC and promotes cancer cell proliferation, migration and invasion by targeting FOXJ3.