MiR-132 plays an oncogenic role in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma by targeting FOXO1 and activating the PI3K/AKT pathway

Increasing evidence indicates that the dysregulation of microRNAs is involved in tumor progression and development. The purpose of the present study was to explore the expression of microRNA-132 (miR-132) and its function in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC). The results showed that miR-132 expression was markedly upregulated in LSCC tissues and cell lines. Functional analyses indicated that overexpression of miR-132 enhanced cell proliferation and tumor growth, which resulted in the downregulation of p27 and p21 and the upregulation of cyclin D1. In addition, luciferase activity indicated that miR-132 directly targets FOXO1, and inhibits FOXO1 protein expression in LSCC cells. Further studies revealed that the ectopic expression of FOXO1 effectively reversed the cell growth induced by miR-132. Moreover, miR-132 also activated the PI3K/AKT pathway, which further decreased FOXO1 expression. In conclusion, these findings demonstrated that miR-132 plays an important oncogenic role in LSCC by modulating the PI3K/AKT/FOXO1 pathway at multiple levels, resulting in strong prognostic implication. Therefore, miR-132 might be a potential therapeutic strategy in LSCC.