Objectives: This research aimed to explore the role of miR-135a-5p in
head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (
HNSCC) cells and its influence on cell viability. Moreover, we aimed to compare effects of miR-135a-5p and miR-494 in
HNSCC, which was found to repress HOXA10 expression in
oral cancer. Methods: The association between miR-135a-5p and HOXA10 was confirmed by green fluorescence
protein reporter assay and qRT-PCR. The expression levels of HOXA10 in
HNSCC cell lines (CAL-27, FaDu and NEC) were examined using western blot. The expression levels of HOXA10 in FaDu cells and CAL-27 cells were examined by western blot after transfection with miR-135a-5p mimics and miR-494 mimics. Colony formation assay and flow cytometry assay were respectively utilized to detect the proliferation and apoptosis of
HNSCC cells after transfection with HOXA10 plasmids and HOXA10-KO plasmids. In vitro
tumor xenograft experiments were performed to analyze the inhibitive effect of miR-135a-5p on HOXA10 in
BALA/c mice. Results: HOXA10 was overexpressed in
HNSCC cells, while miR-135a-5p was under-expressed. Therefore, low expression of HOXA10 lengthened disease-free survival time and overall survival time. MiR-135a-5p overexpression could inhibit HOXA10 expression by directly targeting HOXA10
3'UTR, and the inhibition was more effective than miR-494. HOXA10 suppression inhibited proliferation and enhanced apoptosis of
HNSCC cells. In vivo experiments showed that miR-135a-5p could decelerate the growth of
tumor cells in mice by downregulating HOXA10 expression. Conclusion: MiR-135a-5p could repress
HNSCC cells proliferation and enhance apoptosis by directly targeting HOXA10, implying miR-135a-5p's significance on
HNSCC treatment.