Basic Study
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2019. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Dec 7, 2019; 25(45): 6619-6633
Published online Dec 7, 2019. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v25.i45.6619
MicroRNA-760 acts as a tumor suppressor in gastric cancer development via inhibiting G-protein-coupled receptor kinase interacting protein-1 transcription
Liang Ge, Yu Wang, Quan-Hong Duan, Song-Shan Liu, Guo-Jing Liu
Liang Ge, Yu Wang, Quan-Hong Duan, Guo-Jing Liu, Department of Anal and Intestinal Surgery, Affiliated Hospital of Weifang Medical University, Weifang 261031, Shandong Province, China
Song-Shan Liu, Department of Surgery, Weifang Medical College, Weifang 261031, Shandong Province, China
Author contributions: Ge L and Liu GJ designed the research, analyzed the data, and wrote the paper; Wang Y, Liu SS, and Duan QH performed the research.
Institutional review board statement: This study was reviewed and approved by the Human Ethics Committee of Affiliated Hospital of Weifang Medical College.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare no conflict of interest.
Data sharing statement: No additional data are available.
ARRIVE guidelines statement: The ARRIVE Guidelines have been adopted.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Guo-Jing Liu, MD, Doctor, Department of Anus and Intestine Surgery, Affiliated Hospital of Weifang Medical University, No. 2428, Yuhe Road, Weifang 26103, Shandong Province, China. jinwi1237@163.com
Telephone: +86-13081698899 Fax: +86-536-3081628
Received: September 5, 2019
Peer-review started: September 5, 2019
First decision: October 14, 2019
Revised: October 29, 2019
Accepted: November 13, 2019
Article in press: November 13, 2019
Published online: December 7, 2019
ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS
Research background

An increasing number of studies have revealed that microRNAs are the main drivers of carcinogenesis including progression to later stages of gastric cancer (GC). Recently, microRNA-760 (miR-760) was identified as a cancer-related miRNA in ovarian cancer and colorectal cancer. Nonetheless, the expression pattern and specific roles of miR-760 in GC have not yet been clarified.

Research motivation

More biomarkers are required for the diagnosis and treatment of GC.

Research objectives

To investigate the expression and molecular mechanism of miR-760 in GC.

Research methods

MiR-760 expression was analyzed by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction in GC tissue and cell lines, and the clinicopathological significance of the miR-760 expression level in GC patients was investigated. Cellular experiments were performed to explore the functions of miR-760 in GC cells. Moreover, the regulatory effects of miR-760/G-protein-coupled receptor kinase interacting protein-1 (GIT1) were investigated using luciferase reporter assay, MTT assay, flow cytometric analysis, and transwell assay. At last, the relationship between the miR-760/GIT1 axis and GC was further confirmed through database analysis.

Research results

We found that miR-760 was upregulated in GC tissues and cell lines, and had a significant positive relationship with lymph nodes metastasis and TNM stage. Cellular experiments showed that miR-760 increased the proliferation and invasion capacity of GC cells but promoted apoptosis. Furthermore, miR-760 directly targeted GIT1 and downregulated its expression in GC cells. Moreover, miR-760 increased GIT1 expression to promote GC progression.

Research conclusions

Our study demonstrated that the miR-760/GIT1 axis can significantly increase the growth, migration, and invasion of GC cells. This study provides the functional mechanism of new diagnostic biomarkers for GC.

Research perspectives

In the future, more in-depth research will be carried out to reveal the important role of miR-760 to enhance the sensitivity of GC detection and to develop novel anti-cancer treatments targeting miR-760 and GIT1. The identification of the miR-760/GIT1 molecular axis may further provide new strategies for GC prevention and treatment.