MicroRNA-221 promotes human non-small cell lung cancer cell H460 growth

MicroRNA (miRNA-221) has been reported to be a regulator of cell proliferation. Here we intended to investigate the role of miRNA-221 in regulating the growth of human non-small cell lung cancer cell line H460. H460 cells were transfected with miRNA-221 mimics/inhibitors or their respective negative controls. Real-time quantitative PCRs (qRT-PCRs) were used to confirm the effects of miRNA-221 mimics and inhibitors in H460 cells while Cell Counting Kit 8 (CCK-8) and 5-Ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EdU) assay were used to access the cell viability and proliferation. P27 and P57, as putative targets of miRNA-221, were determined by qRT-PCRs in H460 cells. We found that overexpression of miRNA-221 led to increased proliferative rate and cell viability in H460 cells while down-regulation of miRNA-221 decreased those effects. P27 but not P57 was identified as a potential target gene of miRNA-221 in H460 as P27 was negatively regulated by miRNA-221 in the protein level. In conclusion, this study suggests that miRNA-221 controls human non-small cell lung cancer cell H460 growth potentially by targeting P57. Inhibition of miRNA-221 represents a novel potential treatment for human non-small cell lung cancer.