miR-514a-3p functions as a tumor suppressor in renal cell carcinoma

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is the most common type of kidney cancer, and the prognosis of metastatic RCC remains poor with a high rate of recurrence and mortality. A previous study has revealed that microRNA (miRNA), which negatively regulates protein expression, serves a role of oncogene or tumor suppressor. The aim of the present study was to investigate the expression and function of miR-514a-3p in RCC. To detect the expression of miR-514a-3p in 32 paired RCC tissues, quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) was performed. The function of miR-514a-3p in the proliferation, mobility and apoptosis of RCC cells (786-O and ACHN) was assessed by MTT, CCK-8, cell scratch, Transwell, Hoechst 33342 staining and flow cytometry assay. The results of qPCR revealed that miR-514a-3p was significantly downregulated in RCC tissues compared with adjacent normal tissues. Upregulation of miR-514a-3p by transfection of mimics suppressed RCC cell proliferation, migration and invasion, and induced cell apoptosis. The results revealed that miR-514a-3p was significantly downregulated in RCC and may serve a role as tumor suppressor in RCC. Further studies are required, focusing on the possibility of using miR-514a-3p as a biomarker for RCC as well as the pathway of miR-514a-3p in RCC.