Abstract
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are reportedly involved in gastric cancer development and progression. In particular, miR-219-5p has been reported to be a tumor-associated miRNA in human cancer. However, the role of miR-219-5p in gastric cancer remains unclear. In this study, we investigated for the first time the potential role and underlying mechanism of miR-219-5p in the proliferation, migration, and invasion of human gastric cancer cells. miR-219-5p was found to be markedly decreased in gastric cancer tissues and cell lines compared with adjacent tissues and normal gastric epithelial cells. miR-219-5p mimics or anti-miR-219-5p was transfected into gastric cancer cell lines to overexpress or suppress miR-219-5p expression, respectively. Results showed that miR-219-5p overexpression significantly decreased the proliferation, migration, and invasion of gastric cancer cells. Conversely, miR-219-5p suppression demonstrated a completely opposite effect. Bioinformatics and luciferase reporter assays indicated that miR-219-5p targeted the 3'-untranslated region of the liver receptor homolog-1 (LRH-1), a well-characterized oncogene. Furthermore, miR-219-5p inhibited the mRNA and protein levels of LRH-1. LRH-1 mRNA expression was inversely correlated with miR-219-5p expression in gastric cancer tissues. miR-219-5p overexpression significantly decreased the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway in gastric cancer cells. Additionally, LRH-1 restoration can markedly reverse miR-219-5p-mediated tumor suppressive effects. Our study suggests that miR-219-5p regulated the proliferation, migration, and invasion of human gastric cancer cells by suppressing LRH-1. miR-219-5p may be a potential target for gastric cancer therapy.