MicroRNA-202 inhibits cell migration and invasion through targeting FGF2 and inactivating Wnt/β-catenin signaling in endometrial carcinoma

: Recently, many mircroRNAs (miRNAs) involved in the development and progression of cancer have been reported to regulate cell growth and metastasis, including microRNA-202 (miR-202). The purpose of the present study was to elucidate the effect of miR-202 on endometrial carcinoma (EC) cell migration and invasion. First, qRT-PCR showed that miR-202 was down-regulated in EC tissues, which was associated with poor prognosis in EC patients. Functionally, transwell assay indicated that miR-202 inhibited cell migration and invasion in EC cells. In addition, miR-202 also blocked epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) through suppressing N-cadherin and Vimentin expressions and promoting E-cadherin expression. Moreover, the dual-luciferase reporter assay showed that fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2) is a direct target gene for miR-202 in EC cells. Furthermore, up-regulation of FGF2 attenuated the inhibitory effect of miR-202 on cell migration and invasion in EC. Besides that, miR-202 inactivated the Wnt/β-catenin signaling by suppressing β-catenin expression in EC. In conclusion, miR-202 inhibited cell migration and invasion by targeting FGF2 and inactivating the Wnt/β-catenin signaling in EC.