miRNA-24-3p promotes cell proliferation and regulates chemosensitivity in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma by targeting CHD5.

AIM: To investigate the role of miR-24-3p in tumorigenesis and chemosensitivity in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC).

METHODS: Growth rate and colony formation assays were performed after transfection with miR-24-3p mimic and inhibitor in cultured SCC-15 cells, followed by a CellTiter-Glo(®) assay. Western blot and luciferase assays were performed to investigate the direct target of miR-24-3p. Xenograft mouse model was used to evaluate combinatorial effects of miR-24-3p inhibitor and 5-fluorouracil.

RESULTS & CONCLUSION: Inhibition of miR-24-3p reduced cell proliferation, colony formation efficiency and reversed chemoresistance in HNSCC cells. CHD5 is the direct target of miR-24-3p which is required for the regulatory role of miR-24-3p in chemoresistance. miR-24-3p may represent a new therapeutic target for the improvement of clinical outcome in HNSCC.