MiR-381 inhibits epithelial ovarian cancer malignancy via YY1 suppression

Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is a common type of gynecologic cancer, which accounts for the majority of deaths among all gynecologic malignant tumors in developed countries. A series of recent studies suggested that miR-381 might play important roles in the development of various cancer types. However, the biological function of miR-381 in EOC remains to be investigated. We examined the levels of miR-381 expression in EOC tissues and cell lines. We identified miR-381 target genes by bioinformatic prediction. We also characterized the phenotype regarding cell proliferation, cell migration, and cell invasion in EOC cells lines with altered expression levels of both miR-381 and its target gene, YY1. The expression levels of miR-381 were downregulated in EOC tissues and cell lines. Overexpression of miR-381 significantly inhibited EOC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. Restoration of YY1 expression partially reversed the phenotype induced by miR-381 overexpression. Knockdown of miR-381 target gene, YY1, mimicked the phenotype induced by miR-381 overexpression. MiR-381 regulated EOC cell through miR-381/YY1/p53 and miR-381/YY1/Wnt signaling axis. We concluded that miR-381 inhibited EOC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, at least in part, via suppressing YY1 expression.