miR-938 promotes cell proliferation by regulating RBM5 in lung adenocarcinoma cells

A growing body of research suggests that microRNAs (miRNAs) may play a key part in the progression of various cancers, including lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). However, the expression and mechanism of miR-938 (microRNA-938) in LUAD have not been defined. Compared with adjacent tissues, the level of miR-938 was up-regulated in LUAD tissues. miR-938 expression was significantly associated with tumor size. In vitro assays indicated that miR-938 expression was also increased in the LUAD cell lines. Overexpression of miR-938 promoted LUAD cell proliferation, whereas down-regulation of miR-938 had the opposite effect. We identified RNA-binding protein 5 (RBM5) as a potential target gene of miR-938 in LUAD. Expression of RBM5 was down-regulated in LUAD tumor tissues and negatively correlated with expression of miR-938. Up-regulation of RBM5 reversed cell proliferation by inhibition of miR-938 expression in LUAD cells. These results showed that miR-938 may act as an oncogenic miRNA by targeting RBM5 in LUAD, indicating that miR-938 could be used as a potential therapeutic target for LUAD patients.