The expression and function of miRNA-451 in non-small cell lung cancer

miRNAs are small, non-coding RNAs that negatively regulate gene expression at the post-transcriptional and translational levels. miRNA-451 was previously reported to be down-regulated in gastric and colorectal cancers. Here, we showed that miRNA-451 expression decreased in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) tissues and that its expression was negatively associated with lymph node metastasis, the stage of TNM classification and poor prognosis of NSCLC patients. Moreover, significantly different miRNA-451 expression levels were found between smoking and non-smoking patients. The overexpression of miRNA-451 inhibited cell cycle progression, cellular migration and the invasive ability of NSCLC cells. Increased miRNA-451 expression also promoted anoikis of NSCLC cells. Together, these data suggested that aberrantly expressed miRNA-451 may be associated with the development of NSCLC.