miR-103 promotes esophageal squamous cell carcinoma metastasis by targeting FOXP1

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), a prevalent malignancy within the digestive tract, is associated with a significantly high mortality rate. MicroRNAs were already demonstrated to work in a wide range of tumors. The objective of the present research was to elucidate the involvement of miR-103 in the pathogenesis of ESCC and to explore its underlying mechanisms of action. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction was used to detect miR-103 expressions in ESCC tissues and cells. The clinical significance of these expressions was assessed by a series of statistical analyses. Transwell assay was used to study the impact of miR-103 on migration and invasion ability of ESCC cells. Furthermore, a dual luciferase reporter gene method was adopted to study the association of miR-103 with the targeting of forkhead box protein 1 (FOXP1). miR-103 was significantly up-regulation in ESCC tissues and cell lines. Clinically, high miR-103 expression was associated with negative prognosis in ESCC. The low miR-103 expression significantly inhibited cell proliferation, migration and invasion in ESCC cell lines. Furthermore, miR-103 regulated the mechanism of action of ESCC by targeting FOXP1. In this study, we found that miR-103 may serve as a biomarker for ESCC prognosis. miR-103 may promote ESCC cell metastasis by targeting FOXP1. These studies may elucidate the potential of miR-103 as a novel target for the treatment of ESCC.