miR-199b-5p inhibits proliferation and invasion of head and neck cancer cells

PURPOSE This study identified the differentially expressed miR-199b-5p in the progressing of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma(HNSCC) and investigated its biological characters. METHODS The expression of miR-199b-5p in 128 HNSCC tissues samples was evaluated. The association between clinicopathological parameters and the expression levels of the candidated miRNAs was analyzed by using Kaplan-Meier survival analysis. Cell growth, invasion and migration potential, and clone formation were observed to detect the functions of the miRNAs in HNSCC cells. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 19.0 software package. RESULTS In 79 HNSCC tissues with cervical lymph node metastasis, the expression level of miR-199b-5p was 1.68±0.21; while the expression level was 2.64±0.24 in 28 tissues without lymph node metastasis (P=0.001). In patients with HNSCC, lower level of miR-199b-5p expression significantly correlated with worse overall survival rate (P=0.01). Overexpression of miR-199b-5p inhibited HNSCC cell proliferation and invasion. CONCLUSIONS miR-199b-5p plays a key role in cell invasion and metastasis and its expression correlated with overall survival in patients with HNSCC.