miR‑137 decreases proliferation, migration and invasion in rheumatoid arthritis fibroblast‑like synoviocytes

MicroRNA-137 (miR-137) is involved in cell proliferation, migration, invasion and apoptosis in a variety of cells. However, the role of miR‑137 in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) remains unclear. The present study aimed to identify the biological roles of miR‑137 in RA. The expression of miR‑137 in RA fibroblast‑like synoviocytes (RA‑FLS) and in normal control FLS was detected by reverse transcription‑quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT‑qPCR). The effects of miR‑137 on RA‑FLS proliferation, migration and invasion were also determined using MTT, wound healing and Transwell invasion assays, respectively. The effects of miR‑137 on inflammatory cytokine expression in RA‑FLS were assessed by ELISA. Bioinformatics databases (TargetScan and miRanda), luciferase reporter assays, RT‑qPCR and western blotting assays were conducted to identify potential target genes. miR‑137 expression was decreased in RA‑FLS compared with expression in normal control FLS. Overexpression of miR‑137 resulted in a significant reduction in RA‑FLS proliferation, migration and invasion, and decreased the expression of inflammatory cytokines of RA‑FLS. In addition, bioinformatics analysis and luciferase reporter assays indicated that miR‑137 may target the 3'‑untranslated region of C‑X‑C motif chemokine ligand 12 (CXCL12), which was confirmed by RT‑qPCR and western blot analyses. These results further demonstrated that miR‑137may serve an inhibitory role in RA by targeting CXCL12 expression, and miR‑137 may be a potential target for the treatment of RA.