MicroRNAs (miRs) are aberrantly expressed in various
cancer types and have critical roles in their genesis and progression. miR-144 has been identified to be involved in the development of
hepatocellular carcinoma and
rectal cancer. However, the roles of miR-144 in
cervical cancer and the underlying molecular mechanisms have remained elusive. The present study identified that miR-144 was significantly decreased in
cervical cancer tissues compared with that in matched normal cervical tissues as well as in metastatic vs. non-metastatic
cervical cancer tissues. miR-144 downregulation was significantly associated with the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics stage and
lymph node metastasis. In a gain-of function study, miR-144 mimics were transfected into the Hela and C33A
cervical cancer cell lines, which led to suppression of cell growth. In addition, overexpression of miR-144 inhibited the migration and invasion of Hela and C33A cells. Furthermore, a bioinformatics analysis identified
vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA) VEGFC as two novel target genes of miR-144. Of note, a dual
luciferase reporter assay, reverse-transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis and western blot analysis demonstrated that miR-144 repressed the expression of VEGFA and VEGFC by directly targeting to their 3'-untranslated region. Taken together, the results suggested that miR-144 acts as a
tumor suppressor in the proliferation and
metastasis of
cervical cancer cells by directly targeting VEGFA and VEGFC, suggesting that miR-144 may be a novel promising diagnostic and therapeutic
biomarker for
cervical cancer.