MicroRNA-520e suppresses non-small-cell lung cancer cell growth by targeting Zbtb7a-mediated Wnt signaling pathway

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) that negatively regulated gene expression have emerged as novel therapeutic target for non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treatment. In this study, we investigated the potential role of miR-520e and examined its functional role in NSCLCs. Loss-and-gain of function assays show that miR-520e significantly modulated NSCLC cell growth, cell invasion and cell migration via directly targeting the 3'-untranslated region (UTR) of Zbtb7a and therefore reduced Zbtb7a protein level. These effects of miR-520e on NSCLC progression could be rescued by Zbtb7a overexpression in A549 cells. Furthermore, both of miR-520e level and Zbtb7a level were correlated with Wnt signaling in NSCLC cells. Taken together, these results indicate that overexpressing miR-520e is involved in regulating the NSCLC cell growth, invasion and migration by targeting Zbtb7a partly depending on Wnt signaling.