miR-1246 Promotes Laryngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma Progression by Interacting with THBS1

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been confirmed to be related to the occurrence and progress of multiple cancers, including laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC). The present work focused on exploring the role of miR-1246 in LSCC and investigating the possible mechanisms. miR-1246 expression levels within clinical LSCC tissues and cell lines (TU212 and AMC-HN-8) were detected through quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) assay. Then the overall survival (OS) rates of LSCC patients with different miR-1246 expressions were assessed by the Kaplan-Meier method. In addition, the roles of miR-1246 in the proliferation, apoptosis and migration of TU212 and AMC-HN-8 cells were measured by colony formation, flow cytometry, wound-healing, and Western blot (WB) assays, respectively. Moreover, TargetScan was carried out to predict the miR-1246 targets (thrombospondin-1, THBS1), further confirmed by a dual-luciferase reporter assay. Afterward, the negative relationship between miR-1246 and THBS1 was assessed by qRT-PCR and WB. Furthermore, the restoring effects of THBS1 on TU212 and AMC-HN-8 functional roles transfected with miR-1246 inhibitor were further investigated. miR-1246 expression levels were increased in clinical LSCC tissues and cell lines. Patients with low miR-1246 expression exhibited improved OS rates. In addition, miR-1246 down-regulation notably suppressed cell proliferation and migration and induced cell apoptosis of TU212 and AMC-HN-8 cells. Moreover, THBS1 was predicted and confirmed as a direct target of miR-1246 and negatively related to miR-1246 expression. Mechanically, THBS1 inhibition partially rescued the effects of the miR-1246 inhibitor on proliferation, apoptosis and migration of TU212 and AMC-HN-8 cells. This study provides an experimental basis suggesting the potential of miR-1246/THBS1 as the novel markers for LSCC.