Fig. 2

HGF is a direct target of miR-144-3p. a HGF 3′-UTR was a direct target of miR-144-3p. b Luciferase reporter assay detected the luciferase activity of cells co-transfected with the wild-type (WT) or mutant (Mut) HGF 3′-UTR reporter genes or negative control miRNA mimics (miR-NC). **P < 0.01 versus miR-NC. c RT-qPCR was used to quantify HGF expression at mRNA levels. **P < 0.01 versus negative control. d Western blot was used to measure HGF protein expression in A549 cells co-transfected with miR-144-3p or controls. e Western blot was used to detect the expression of HGF protein, and RT-qPCR was used to detect expression of miR-144-3p. **P < 0.01 versus miR-NC