miR-34c plays a role of tumor suppressor in HEC‑1-B cells by targeting E2F3 protein

Abstract Endometrial carcinoma (EC) is a common malignancy of the female genital tract with a poor prognosis. It has been reported that miR-34c is significantly reduced in EC, but research concerning its function in EC is rare. In the present study, the expression of miR-34c was upregulated in the EC cell line, HEC-1-B, by transfecting the cells with hsa-miR-34c-5p mimics. Then, after determining the transfection efficiency by RT-qPCR, we analyzed the effects of miR-34c on the HEC-1-B cells. We found that overexpression of miR-34c significantly inhibited cell proliferation, colony formation, migration and invasion and induced cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. Finally, western blot analysis demonstrated that the expression of E2F3 was reduced after upregulation of the expression of miR-34c in the HEC-1-B cells, and the effects of miR-34c are likely associated with the reduction in E2F3 protein. In conclusion, our study demonstrated that miR-34c plays a role of tumor suppressor in HEC-1-B cells, and E2F3 protein may be a target of miR-34c.