MicroRNA-371a-3p promotes progression of gastric cancer by targeting TOB1

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.