miR-204 negatively regulates ZEB2 expression at the post-transcriptional level. (A) RT-qPCR analysis demonstrated that ZEB2 mRNA expression was downregulated in miR-204 mimic-transfected HepG2 and HuH-7 cells. Data are presented as mean ± standard deviation. (B) Western blot analysis indicated that miR-204 decreased ZEB2 protein expression levels in HepG2 and HuH-7 cells. *P<0.05, compared with the respective controls. miR-204, microRNA-204; ZEB2, zinc finger E-box binding homeobox 2; RT-qPCR, reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction; NC, negative control.