MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are defined as small, non-coding RNAs that act as post-transcriptional regulators of gene expression. Dysfunction of miRNAs was involved in the initiation and progression of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Here, we found that miR-543 was markedly overexpressed in NPC tissues and cell lines. Overexpression of miR-543 promoted the proliferation, cell cycle progression and invasion of NPC cells. Down-regulation of miR-543 inhibited the proliferation and induced apoptosis of NPC cells. Bioinformatics analysis suggested the junctional adhesion molecule A (JAM-A) as a potential target of miR-543. Furthermore, molecular study showed that the miR-543 bound the 3'-untranslated region (UTR) of JAM-A and decreased the expression of JAM-A in NPC cells. The expression of JAM-A in NPC tissues was decreased and negatively correlated with that of miR-543. Overexpression of JAM-A attenuated miR-543-induced proliferation of NPC cells. Collectively, these evidence indicated the important roles of miR-543/JAM-A signaling in the progression of NPC, highlighting the potential of miR-543 as a target in the treatment of NPC.
Keywords: Cell proliferation; Gene expression; JAM-A; Nasopharyngeal carcinoma; miR-543.