miR-137 impairs the proliferative and migratory capacity of human non-small cell lung cancer cells by targeting paxillin

Human lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer motility worldwide, with nearly 1.4 million deaths each year, among which non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounts for almost 85 % of this disease. The discovery of microRNAs (miRNAs) provides a new avenue for NSCLC diagnostic and treatment regiments. Currently, a large number of miRNAs have been reported to be associated with the progression of NSCLC, among which serum miR-137 has been examined to be down-regulated in NSCLC patients. However, the function of miR-137 on NSCLC cells migration and invasion and the relative mechanisms were less known. Here, we found that ectopic expression of miR-137 could inhibit cell proliferation, induce cell apoptosis, and suppress cell migration and invasion in NSCLC cell line A549. Moreover, we found that paxillin (PXN) was a target gene of miR-137 in NSCLC cells and restored expression of PXN abolished the miR-137-mediated suppression of cell migration and invasion. Taken together, our results showed that miR-137 acted as a tumor suppressor in NSCLC by targeting PXN, and it may provide novel diagnostic and therapeutic options for human NSCLC clinical operation in future.