Fig. 4

FOXM1 is the direct and functional target of miR-320a-3p. A The interaction between miR-320a-3p and FOXM1 mRNA was verified by RNA pull-down assay. B Dual-luciferase reporter assay verified FOXM1 as the downstream target of miR-320a-3p. C Transfection of siFOXM1 significantly decreased FOXM1 mRNA expression in MRC-5 cells treated with 5 ng/mL TGF-β1 for 48 h. Western blot (D) and immunofluorescence staining (E) analysis revealed that FOXM1 knockdown alleviated TGF-β1-induced fibrotic protein expression; bars = 100 μm. F EdU staining for assessment of cell proliferation in MRC-5 cells, showing that FOXM1 inhibition reversed TGF-β1-induced cell viability and proliferation; bars = 100 μm. All data expressed as mean ± SD of at least three independent experiments, *p < 0.05 and **p < 0.01