miR-145-5p Overexpression Inhibits the Proliferation, Migration and Invasion of Esophageal Carcinoma Cells by Targeting ABRACL

Abstract Background: The study aimed to investigate the regulatory relationship between miR-145-5p and ABRACL, and tried to clarify the mechanisms underlying the proliferation, migration and invasion of esophageal cancer (EC) cells.Methods: Gene expression data related to EC were accessed from TCGA database and the “edgeR” package was used to screen the differentially expressed miRNA (DEmiRNAs) and genes (DEGs). TargetScan, miRDB and miRTarBase databases were used to predict potential targets for the target miRNA miR-145-5p. qRT-PCR and Western blot were performed to assess the expression of miR-145-5p and ABRACL in EC cells. Dual-luciferase reporter assay was performed for verification of the targeting relationship between miR-145-5p and ABRACL. Functional experiments including colony formation assay, Transwell migration and invasion assays were used to detect the proliferation, migration and invasion abilities of EC cells. Results: The expression of miR-145-5p was significantly decreased in EC, while ABRACL was remarkably increased. In addition, there was a negative correlation identified between miR-145-5p and ABRACL expression levels. Overexpressing miR-145-5p was able to suppress cell proliferation, migration and invasion, whereas silencing miR-145-5p posed an opposite effect. In the meantime, ABRACL was identified as a direct target of miR-145-5p by dual-luciferase reporter assay. Furthermore, miR-145-5p could inhibit the expression of ABRACL, in turn inhibiting the proliferation, migration and invasion of EC cells. Conclusion: miR-145-5p functions on the proliferation, migration and invasion of EC cells via targeting ABRACL, and it may be a novel therapeutic target for EC treatment.