An integrated study was conducted to identify the potential prognosis biomarker of the gastric cancer. The study analyzed the expression level of microRNAs (miRNAs) and clinical follow-up information of gastric cancer patients. miR-371-3p was determined as a promising biomarker for the prognosis of GCs among the 74 dysregulated miRNAs examined. The qRT-PCR analysis of the expression of miR-371-3p in 121 GC tumors confirmed its overexpression and correlation with aggravation of the GC patients. The in vitro functional assays demonstrated that overexpression of miR-371-3p promoted proliferation, colony formation, migration and invasion of the GC cells, whereas miR-371-3p depletion led to the opposite. The findings were further confirmed by the in vivo knockdown of miR-371-3p experiment: the depletion of miR-371-3p inhibited tumor growth and metastasis. Based on the results of the bioinformatics analysis and bioassays, TOB1 was found to be the direct target of miR-371-3p, functioning as a tumor suppressor in GC cells. TOB1 was prerequisite for miR-371-3p to promote cell proliferation and migration. In conclusion, the results suggest that miR-371-3p is a potential prognosis biomarker and therapeutic target for GC.
Keywords: Gastric cancer; Metastasis; Oncogenic; Prognosis-associated; TOB1; miR-371a-3p.
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