MicroRNA-635 inhibits the malignancy of osteosarcoma by inducing apoptosis

Recent evidence has suggested that microRNAs (miRs), which are a class of non-coding RNAs, serve diverse roles in tumorigenesis. However, the role of miR-635 in osteosarcoma (OS) remains unknown. The present study revealed that miR-635 may be a tumor suppressive miR. The expression of miR-635 was significantly decreased in OS specimens. In addition, the proliferation and invasion of OS cells transfected with miR-635 may be effectively attenuated. Transfection of cells with miR-635 may further inhibit tumor growth in vivo. miR-635 may antagonize tumorigenesis of OS possibly by inducing apoptosis, as demonstrated by flow cytometric analysis and caspase-3 kinase assays. The data of the present study suggested that miR-635 may be a novel tumor suppressor and may serve as a putative diagnostic marker for patients with OS.