Increasing evidence suggests that long non coding (lnc)
RNA and
microRNA (
miRNA/miR) both regulate the expression of key genes in
tumorigenesis and have considerable
theranostic potential. Rapid advances in bioinformatics indicate that
miRNA may potentially interact with
lncRNA to modulate their regulatory roles. miR-148b-3p has been reported to have a vital role in regulating
tumor progression. However, the expression pattern of miR-148b-3p in
glioma remains largely unknown, and interactions between miR-148b-3p and
lncRNA has yet to be identified. The aim of the present study was to insight into the regulatory role of miR-148b-3p in
glioma. Using online software, the HOTAIR gene was identified as a possible
lncRNA target of miR-148b-3p in the present study.
siRNA was used to suppress the expression of HOTAIR and reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction was used to detect the expression of miR-148b-3p. The results confirmed that HOTAIR
mRNA expression was inversely correlated with miR-148b-3p expression in A172
glioma cells. Furthermore, a
3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay was performed to detect the viability of cells, flow cytometry was performed to test cell cycle and a
matrigel invasion assay was performed to test cell invasion. The results showed that HOTAIR promotes factors associated with
malignancy, including cell proliferation, cell cycle progression and invasion, whereas miR-148b-3p suppresses
malignancy. Bioinformatics and
luciferase reporter assays showed that miR-148b-3p modulates HOTAIR expression by directly targeting the HOTAIR gene sequence. In summary, the results indicated that miR-148b-3p inhibits malignant
biological behaviors of
glioma cells by directly targeting HOTAIR. The current data provide important evidence for understanding the key roles of the
lncRNA miRNA functional network in
glioma.