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Downregulated microRNA (miR)-124 is common in numerous types of cancer, including non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). A previous study by the authors demonstrated that LIM-homeobox domain 2 (LHX2) was upregulated and promoted cell growth in NSCLC. However, whether LHX2 affects the migratory and invasive abilities of NSCLC cells and the association of LHX2 with miR-124 remains unclear. The present study revealed that miR-124 expression was frequently decreased in human NSCLC cells and tissues and negatively correlated with LHX2 expression, which was increased in NSCLC cells and tissues. Furthermore, the transfection of miR-124 mimic significantly inhibited endogenous expression of LHX2 mRNA and protein in A549 and H1299 cells, and miR-124 inhibitor promoted LHX2 expression. Of note, overexpression of miR-124 in A549 and H1299 cells attenuated cellular migratory and invasive abilities, and this was observed in LHX2-silenced A549 and H1299 cells. Knockdown of miR-124 augmented the migratory and invasive abilities in A549 and H1299 cells. The 3'-untranslated region of LHX2 transcript has also been identified to be a putative target of miR-124. Taken together, the results revealed that miR-124 may inhibit migration and invasion by repressing LHX2 expression in NSCLC cells. The findings of the present study suggested that overexpression of miR-124 or silencing of LHX2 may provide a therapeutic strategy for advanced NSCLC.

The long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) plasmacytoma variant translocation 1 (PVT1) has been identified as an oncogene in numerous diseases, and aberrant lncRNA PVT1 expression has been associated with the development of cancer. However, the underlying mechanism by which lncRNA PVT1 affects cell invasion in esophageal cancer has been not demonstrated. In the current study, the expression of lncRNA PVT1 was found to be increased in esophageal cancer specimens (n=77) by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction, and was correlated with tumor stage (P=0.009) and metastasis (P