MicroRNA-130b promotes cell migration and invasion by targeting peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma in human glioma

MircroRNA-130b (miR-130b) has been recognized as an oncogenic miRNA and is implicated in the initiation and development of human cancers. Deregulation of miR-130b has been reported in several tumors. However, the clinical significance and its underlying role in human glioma are poorly explored. Herein, we found that the expression of miR-130b was significantly up-regulated in glioma tissues as compared with that in normal brain (NB) tissues. Clinical association analysis disclosed that high-expression of miR-130b was evidently associated with advanced tumor stage (grade III + IV) in glioma. Moreover, we disclosed that the high-expression of miR-130b conferred an obviously reduced survival of glioma patients. Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that miR-130b expression was an independent prognostic indicator for glioma patients. Our gain- or loss-of-function studies showed that miR-130b promoted invasion and migration of glioma cells. Notably, miR-130b regulated peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) abundance and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in glioma cells. Hereby, PPARγ was identified as a functional target of miR-130b in glioma. Furthermore, an inverse correlation between miR-130b and PPARγ expression was observed in glioma tissues. In conclusion, miR-130b is an independent prognostic biomarker for indicating survival of glioma patients and promotes glioma cell migration and invasion by targeting PPARγ.