MicroRNA-20a promotes proliferation and invasion by directly targeting early growth response 2 in non-small cell lung carcinoma

MicroRNA-20a (miR-20a) serves a notable role in tumor development and progression; it functions differently in different types of malignant tumor, and its role and mechanism in non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) remains unclear. In the present study, the effects of miR-20a on the proliferation and invasion of NSCLC cells and the underlying mechanisms behind this were investigated. Reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction revealed that the expression level of miR-20a was higher in human NSCLC than in normal tissues. Following this, the effect of miR-20a on the proliferation, apoptosis, migration and invasion of NSCLCA-549 cells was further evaluated. In vitro analysis, including a Cell Counting Kit-8, colony formation and Transwell migration assay, indicated that miR-20a-knockdown inhibited the proliferation, invasion and migration, while promoting the cell apoptosis of the A-549 cells. Early growth response 2 (EGR2) protein and mRNA levels were downregulated or upregulated following the overexpression or knockdown of miR-20a, respectively. Dual-luciferase reporter gene assays implied that EGR2 is a direct target gene of miR-20a. The results of the present study indicated that miR-20a may function as an oncomiR in the development of NSCLC by promoting cell viability and motility. The inhibition of miR-20a could even become a novel therapeutic method for the treatment of NSCLC.