<em>miR-205</em> Expression Promotes Cell Proliferation and Migration of Human Cervical Cancer Cells

<div><p>MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short non-coding RNA regulators that control gene expression mainly through post-transcriptional silencing. We previously identified <em>miR-205</em> in a signature for human cervical cancer using a deep sequencing approach. In this study, we confirmed that <em>miR-205</em> expression was frequently higher in human cervical cancer than their matched normal tissue samples. Functionally, we demonstrate that <em>miR-205</em> promotes cell proliferation and migration in human cervical cancer cells. To further understand the biological roles of <em>miR-205</em>, we performed <em>in vivo</em> crosslinking and Argonaute 2 immunoprecipitation of miRNA ribonucleoprotein complexes followed by microarray analysis (CLIP-Chip) to identify its potential mRNA targets. Applying CLIP-Chip on gain- and loss-of-function experiments, we identified a set of transcripts as potential targets of <em>miR-205</em>. Several targets are functionally involved in cellular proliferation and migration. Two of them, CYR61 and CTGF, were further validated by Western blot analysis and quantification of mRNA enrichment in the Ago2 immunoprecipitates using qRT-PCR. Furthermore, both <em>CYR61</em> and <em>CTGF</em> were downregulated in cervical cancer tissues. In summary, our findings reveal novel functional roles and targets of <em>miR-205</em> in human cervical cancer, which may provide new insights about its role in cervical carcinogenesis and its potential value for clinical diagnosis.</p>