Abstract
Although the molecular biology of GC has been well characterized, early diagnostic biomarkers and effective therapeutic options in gastric cancer are still under investigation. Here, we found that miR-148b expression decreased in human gastric cancer tissues compared with matched adjacent nontumor tissues by q-PCR analysis and in situ hybridization. Further investigation revealed that overexpression of miR-148b limited glycolysis including glucose consumption, lactate production in gastric cancer cell lines BGC-823 and MKN45. Bioinformatics prediction uncovered that a dedicated transporters solute carrier family 2 member 1 (SLC2A1), also called GLUT1, was the direct target of miR-148b. The target effects were further confirmed by luciferase assay and western blot analysis. Besides, a reverse correlation was observed between relative SLC2A1 and miR-148b expression in human GC tissues compared with matched adjacent nontumor tissues. Subsequently, SLC2A1 suppression by SLC2A1 siRNA or specific inhibitor restricted the reduced effects of glycolysis mediated by miR-148b while SLC2A1 overexpression abrogated the effect of miR-148b on glycolysis. Our findings provided new evidence of miR-148b in GC development through restraining glycolysis, highlighting the role of miR-148b as a new target for GC treatment.