Functional role of miR-27b in the development of gastric cancer

Previous studies have demonstrated that microRNAs (miRNAs/miRs) act as tumor suppressors or oncogenes during multiple processes in cancer. It has been observed that miR-27b may act as a tumor-suppressor and was significantly downregulated in a number of types of cancer. However, the functions of miR-27b in gastric cancer (GC) remain unclear. The present study aimed to investigate the functional role of miR-27b in the progression of GC. The downregulation of miR-27b in human GC plasma was confirmed using miRNA microarray and reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction analyses. The association between circulating miR-27b expression and clinicopathological features of GC was analyzed and the results demonstrated that the level of circulating miR-27b was significantly correlated with GC differentiation. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis identified that the plasma level of miR-27b may be a potential biomarker for differentiating patients with GC from healthy controls. In order to investigate the effect of miR-27b on GC cell behavior, miR-27b was overexpressed using miR-27b mimics, and it was observed that miR-27b was able to inhibit cell proliferation and induce apoptosis in SGC7901 cells. Previous studies have demonstrated that vascular endothelial growth factor C (VEGFC) is a target of miR-27b, and the results of the present study were consistent with these reports. Taken together, the results of the present study indicated that miR-27b may act as a potential biomarker for differentiating patients with GC from healthy controls, and serve as a tumor suppressor in GC by targeting VEGFC.