miR-19a/b modulates lung cancer cells metastasis through suppression of MXD1 expression

Increasing evidence has shown that microRNA (miRNA) is extensively involved in the pathophysiology of lung cancer. Microarray data demonstrated the increasing levels of miR-19a in the peripheral blood from patients suffering from lung cancer, which is closely associated with poor prognosis of lung cancer. However, the underlying molecular mechanism of miR-19a remains to be determined. The results of the present study showed a higher expression of miR-19a compared with normal bronchial epithelial cells. Furthermore, lentivirus vectors were constructed to establish cell lines that overexpressed and knocked out miR-19a in order to study the role of miR-19a on the metastasis and proliferation of lung cancer cells. Investigation into the underlying mechanism of miR-19a, revealed that MXD1 may be the key gene targeting miR-19a, participating in the process of proliferation and metastasis of lung cancer cells.