Downregulation of miR-218-5p promotes invasion of oral squamous cell carcinoma cells via activation of CD44-ROCK signaling

The invasion front of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) harbors the most aggressive cells of the tumor and is critical for cancer invasion and metastasis. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play important roles in OSCC progression. In this study, we modelled the OSCC invasion front on a microfluidic chip, and investigated differences in miRNA profiles between cells in the invasion front and those in the tumor mass by small RNA sequencing. We found that miR-218-5p was downregulated in invasion front cells and negatively regulates OSCC invasiveness by targeting the CD44–ROCK pathway. Thus, miR-218-5p may serve as a useful therapeutic target for OSCC. Moreover, invasion front cell isolation based-on microfluidic technology provided a useful strategy for cancer invasion study.