Tumour-suppressive microRNA-24-1 inhibits cancer cell proliferation through targeting FOXM1 in bladder cancer

Here, we found that microRNA-24-1 (miR-24-1) is significantly reduced in bladder cancer (BC) tissues, suggesting that it functions as a tumour suppressor. Restoration of mature miR-24-1 inhibits cancer cell proliferation and induces apoptosis. Forkhead box protein M1 (FOXM1) is a direct target gene of miR-24-1, as shown by genome-wide gene expression analysis and luciferase reporter assay. Overexpressed FOXM1 is confirmed in BC clinical specimens, and silencing of FOXM1 induces apoptosis in cancer cell lines. Our data demonstrate that the miR-24-1-FOXM1 axis contributes to cancer cell proliferation in BC, and elucidation of downstream signalling will provide new insights into the molecular mechanisms of BC oncogenesis.