MiR-639 promoted cell proliferation and cell cycle in human thyroid cancer by suppressing CDKN1A expression

Accumulating evidence has indicated that aberrantly expressed microRNAs (miRs) are extensively involved in cancer development and progression. MiR-639 has been reported to act as tumor promoter in various types of cancer. However, the biological function and underlying molecular mechanism of miR-639 in thyroid carcinoma (TC) have not been intensively investigated. Herein the present study aimed to investigate the functional role of miR-639 in TC. We found that miR-639 expression was upregulated in TC cells and clinical tissues. Overexpression of miR-639 promoted TC cell proliferation and cell cycle, with increased expression of CyclinE and c-myc, whereas miR-639-in reverses the function. Using prediction software and luciferase reporter assay, we found that CDKN1A was a target of miR-639. CDKN1A small interfering RNA (siRNA) abrogated the role of miR-639-in on cell proliferation of TC. In summary, our data demonstrated that miR-639 upregulation was associated with development of TC, miR-639 promoted cell proliferation and cell cycle by targeting CDKN1A in TC.