MicroRNA-101 suppresses motility of bladder cancer cells by targeting c-Met

•We examined the level of miR-101 in bladder cancer tissues and a cancer cell line.•The function of miR-101 in bladder cancer cells relies on the down-regulation of c-Met.•We are the first to show that c-Met may be a target of miR-101.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs that play regulatory roles by repressing translation or cleaving RNA transcripts. Here, we report that the expression of microRNA-101 (miR-101) is down-regulated in human bladder cancer tissue versus normal adjacent tissue. To better characterize the role of miR-101 in bladder cancer, we conducted a gain-of-function analysis by transfecting the bladder cancer cell line T24 with chemically synthesized miR-101 mimics. We found that miR-101 directly targets c-Met via its 3′-UTR. Specifically, forced expression of miR-101 decreased c-Met expression at both mRNA and protein levels, consequently inhibiting T24 cell migration and invasion in a c-Met-dependent manner. In conclusion, we have shown miR-101 to be a novel suppressor of T24 cell migration and invasion through its negative regulation of c-Met.