MicroRNA-548ac induces apoptosis in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma cells by targeting transmembrane protein 158.

Laryngeal cancer is a common head and neck cancer that effects the quality of life of those affected. Early diagnosis and treatment are vital to minimize the harmful effects of laryngeal cancer, which can improve the survival rate of patients following surgery and retain the voice function of the larynx. The purpose of the present study was to explore the molecular mechanism of the development of laryngeal cancer and to determine the biomarker for the diagnosis and treatment of laryngeal cancer. Reverse transcription-quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) and The Cancer Genome Atlas database analysis were used to confirm high expression of TMEM158 in laryngeal cancer. The effects of TMEM158 and miR-548ac was investigated through in vitro and in vivo assays (MTT assay, colony-formation assay, flow cytometry assay, western blotting and tumor xenograft assay). Luciferase reporter assay, western blotting and RTq-PCR were used to confirm that miR-548 directly targeted the 3'-untranslated region of TMEM158 and inhibited TMEM158 expression. Taken together, the present results suggest that miR-548ac functions as a crucial cancer suppressor in laryngeal cancer, which induces apoptosis in laryngeal cancer cells by suppressing TMEM158. Thus, miR-548ac may be a potential target for the treatment of laryngeal cancer.