MiR-101 targets USP22 to inhibit the tumorigenesis of papillary thyroid carcinoma

Increasing evidence suggests that microRNA-101 (miR-101) is involved in the progression of various human cancers, including papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). However, the biological functions of miR-101 and underlying molecular mechanisms in PTC remain largely unknown. In this study, we demonstrated that miR-101 underexpression in PTC tissue was associated with lymph node metastasis and poor prognosis of PTC patients. MiR-101 reduced PTC cell proliferation, apoptosis resistance, and invasion. Ubiquitin-specific protease 22 (USP22) was confirmed as a direct target of miR-101. USP22 restoration attenuated the inhibitory effects of miR-101 on PTC malignant traits in vitro. In vivo, miR-101 overexpression or USP22 depletion reduced the tumorigenesis of PTC. Overall, our findings provide new insight into the mechanism of PTC inhibition by miR-101, suggesting the potential of miR-101 as a therapeutic target in PTC patients.