Background and purpose: MicroRNAs are 19–25-nucleotide noncoding RNA molecules that regulate gene expression at the level of transcription and translation. The study aimed to confirm whether miR-216a suppresses cell proliferation and invasion by targeting PRKCA

thus to reveal molecular mechanism that miR-216a functions as a tumor suppressor in glioma. Methods: PRKCA 3’ untranslated region (UTR)-luciferase vector was constructed and dual-luciferase reporter gene assay was employed to examine the effect of miR-216a on luciferase activity. U251 cells were transfected with miR-216a mimics

and next Western blotting was performed to detect the expression of PRKCA protein. The effects of PRKCA downregulation on cell proliferation and invasion were observed after PRKCA siRNA was transfected into U251 cells. U251 cell proliferation assays were performed when cotransfected with miR-216a mimics. Results: The result demonstrated miR-216a could bind to the 3’UTR of PRKCA and inhibited the luciferase activity by 41%. PRKCA protein expressions were significantly down-regulated when miR-216a was overexpressed in U251. siRNA-mediated downregulation of PRKCA could suppress the potentials of cell proliferation and invasion. Conclusion: miR-216a suppresses cell proliferation and invasion by targeting PRKCA in glioma.