Low plasma levels of miR-101 are associated with tumor progression in gastric cancer.

BACKGROUND

Several studies have identified the decreased expression of the tumor suppressor miR-101 in various cancers. In this study, we tested miR-101 as a potential therapeutic target and novel plasma biomarker for gastric cancer (GC).

RESULTS

The miR-101 expression level was significantly lower in GC tissues ( = 0.0038) and GC cell lines ( = 0.0238) than in normal gastric mucosa. Both exosomal and plasma miR-101 were significantly downregulated in GC patients compared with healthy volunteers ( = 0.0281 and < 0.0001, respectively). Low miR-101 plasma level was significantly associated with advanced T factor, advanced disease stage, and peritoneal metastasis and predicted poor prognosis in GC patients ( 0.0368; hazard ratio, 3.079; 95% confidence interval: 1.06-11.08). Overexpression of miR-101 in GC cells induced apoptosis by inhibiting MCL1 and suppressed cell migration and invasion by regulating ZEB1.

CONCLUSIONS

Depletion of the tumor suppressor miRNA-101 in plasma is related to tumor progression and poor outcomes. Low plasma miR-101 may be a biomarker for GC, and its restoration might be a novel anticancer treatment strategy.