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Updated: Feb 8, 2026

Transoral Robotic Total Thyroidectomy and Bilateral Central Regional Lymph Node Dissection for Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma
Published on: September 15, 2023
Downregulation of MiR-431 expression associated with lymph node metastasis and promotes cell invasion in papillary
Yang Liu1,1, Lin Li2,1, Zheng Liu1
1Department of Thyroid Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China.
Backgrounds:
The purpose of this study was to investigate clinical role and functional effects of miR-431 expression in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC).
Methods:
Expression of miR-431 in PTC patient tissue samples and plasma samples was examined by using qRT-PCR methods. Cell migration and invasion capacity were evaluated using transwell assays. Western blot analysis was performed to detect protein expression after miR-431 overexpression in PTC cells.
Results:
We demonstrated that miR-431 expression was lower in PTC tissues and plasma samples compared to their corresponding controls. MiR-431 expression was particularly lower in PTC patients with lymph node (LN) metastasis. In vitro, miR-431 overexpression significantly inhibited cell migration, invasion and EMT process by upregulating E-cadherin and downregulating Vimentin expression. Additionally, wedemonstrated that miR-431 overexpression suppressed Hedgehog (Hh) signaling pathway by downregulating Gli1 expression.
Conclusion:
Our results indicated that miR-431 could serve as a predictor for PTC patients with positive lymph node metastasis and a potential target of PTC treatment.
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