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Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) is the second most common cancer in man and accounts for approximately 20% of non-melanoma skin cancers. Although most cSCC are benign, poorly differentiated cSCC poses a significant risk of metastasis and death. To date, little is known about the difference in molecular background between low-risk and high risk cSCC. MicroRNAs are short regulatory RNAs that can regulate gene expression and cellular functions. Here we demonstrate for the first time that the expression of miR-203 in cSCC correlates with tumor differentiation grade, being down-regulated in poorly but not in moderately or well differentiated cSCC. In vitro, miR-203 causes a delay in G1 to S phase transition and suppresses cell proliferation in human cSCC cells. Furthermore, miR-203 suppresses scratch-wound closure, cell migration, cell invasion, colony forming ability and angiogenesis …