MicroRNA (miRNA) has been reported to exert important functions in papillary thyroid carcinomas (PTC). However, the role of miRNA in aggressive PTC (APTC) remains unclear. Here, we investigated the diagnostic potentials and mechanisms of miR-221/222 in APTC. Results showed that miR-221/222 were markedly up-regulated in PTC, compared with the adjacent normal tissue (ANT). A high expression of miR-221/222 were associated with a primary tumor, regional lymph node, and distant metastasis (TNM) stage, multicentricity, lymph node metastasis, and extra-thyroidal extension. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis indicated that miR-221/222 could be used as APTC diagnostic markers. Moreover, miR-221/222 tremendously promoted migration and invasion and inhibited apoptosis and autophagy in PTC cells. A luciferase assay showed that miR-221/222 inhibited the fluorescent activity of autophagy-related protein 10 (ATG10). Furthermore, miR-221/222 decreased ATG10 mRNA and protein levels. Silencing of ATG10 significantly abrogated the effect of miR-221/222 on apoptosis and autophagy. We suggested that miR-221/222 can promote migration and invasion, and inhibit autophagy and apoptosis by targeting ATG10 in APTC.

据报道，微小 RNA (miRNA) 在甲状腺乳头状癌 (PTC) 中发挥重要作用。然而，miRNA 在侵袭性 PTC (APTC) 中的作用仍不清楚。在这里，我们研究了 miR-221/222 在 APTC 中的诊断潜力和机制。结果表明，与邻近的正常组织 (ANT) 相比，miR-221/222 在 PTC 中显着上调。miR-221/222 的高表达与原发肿瘤、区域淋巴结和远处转移 (TNM) 分期、多中心性、淋巴结转移和甲状腺外扩展有关。受试者工作特征（ROC）曲线分析表明 miR-221/222 可作为 APTC 诊断标志物。此外，miR-221/222 极大地促进了 PTC 细胞的迁移和侵袭，并抑制了细胞凋亡和自噬。荧光素酶测定显示 miR-221/222 抑制自噬相关蛋白 10 (ATG10) 的荧光活性。此外，miR-221/222 降低了 ATG10 mRNA 和蛋白质水平。ATG10 的沉默显着消除了 miR-221/222 对细胞凋亡和自噬的影响。我们认为miR-221/222可以通过靶向APTC中的ATG10促进迁移和侵袭，抑制自噬和凋亡。