Fig. 4

miR-431-5p directly bound XIAP in RA FLSs. a Binding between miR-431-5p and XIAP predicted by TargetScan. b Dual-luciferase reporter assay showing binding between miR-431-5p and the 3′ UTR of XIAP. c qRT-PCR for the relative expression of XIAP in HFLS-RA cells transfected with miR-431-5p mimics or inhibitor. d, e Western blotting to determine the levels of XIAP in HFLS-RA cells transfected with miR-431-5p mimics or inhibitor. f qRT-PCR for the relative expression of XIAP in synovial tissues of patients with RA (n = 8) and healthy controls (n = 6). g, h Western blots showing the levels of XIAP in synovial tissues of patients with RA (n = 3) and healthy controls (n = 3). i qRT-PCR for the relative expression of XIAP in HFLS and HFLS-RA cells. j, k Western blots showing the levels of XIAP in HFLS and HFLS-RA cells. Each experiment was performed independently in triplicates. *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01, ***P < 0.001, compared with the NC groups