MicroRNA-613 promotes colon cancer cell proliferation, invasion and migration by targeting ATOH1

The aim of the present study is to investigate the expression and function of miR-613 in colon cancer (CC) and illuminate the molecular mechanisms underlying miR-613-regulated CC progression. Our data demonstrated that miR-613 was upregulated in CC tissue samples (P = 0.009) and human CC cell lines (HCT-116 and Lovo; P = 0.001 and P = 0.003, respectively), which also promoted the proliferation, invasion and migration of CC cells (P < 0.05). The dual-luciferase reporter assay confirmed that Atonal homolog1 (ATOH1) was the target mRNA of miR-613. Rescue experiments showed that ATOH1 overexpression vector significantly reversed the stimulative effects of miR-613 mimic on the progression of HCT-116 and Lovo cells (P < 0.001). Positive ATOH1 expression in CC tissues was significantly associated with lower grade (χ2 = 3.592, P = 0.043), lower TNM stage (χ2 = 3.537, P = 0.048) and better overall survival (P=0.041). Jun N-terminal kinase 1 (JNK1) pathway and Mucin 2 (MUC2) were the potential downstream proteins of miR-613/ATOH1. miR-613 is an oncogene in CC and promotes the proliferation, invasion and migration of CC cells by targeting ATOH1 likely via activating JNK1 pathway and upregulating MUC2.