MiR-548c-3p suppressed the progression of papillary thyroid carcinoma via inhibition of the HIF1α-mediated VEGF signaling pathway.

Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is the most common type of thyroid malignancy with physiological microRNA (miR) pathomorphological changes. MiR-548c-3p participates in multiple processes of tumor development and progression. However, the role of miR-548c-3p in PTC and the underlying mechanisms remain undefined. Therefore, this study aimed to detect the expression of miR-548c-3p in PTC and to explore its exact function. MiR-548c-3p expression was analyzed in PTC tissue and cell lines by Real-Time fluorescence quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction. Colony formation and cell viability assay were used to measure cell proliferation. Wound healing assay and transwell invasion assay were conducted to examine cell migration and invasion. The protein expression of the signaling pathways was determined by Western blot analysis. Our results indicated that miR-548c-3p was downregulated in PTC tissues and cell lines. Moreover, miR-548c-3p mimics suppressed PTC cell viability, colony formation, cell migration, and invasion capacity. Low expression of miR-548c-3p significantly enhanced N-cadherin and vimentin expression. A negative correlation was determined between miR-548c-3p and hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) 1α or vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) levels, indicating that miR-548c-3p inhibited tumor progression by suppressing the HIF1α-mediated VEGF signaling pathway. MiR-548c-3p could suppress PTC progression by inhibiting the HIF1α-mediated VEGF signaling pathway.