MicroRNA-198 inhibits proliferation and induces apoptosis by directly suppressing FGFR1 in gastric cancer

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are increasingly recognized as important therapeutic targets in cancer. Here we aim to investigate the role of miR-198, a broad-spectrum tumor suppressor, in gastric cancer (GC). MiR-198 overexpression was achieved by transfection of miR-198 mimics, followed by evaluation of cell viability using cell-counting kit 8. Cell cycle arrest and apoptosis were assessed by Annexin-V-FITC/Propidium Iodide (PI) staining flow cytometry respectively. The target of miR-198 was identified by bioinformatical analysis and confirmed by dual-luciferase assay, along with real-time PCR and Western blot analyses of target gene expression after transfection of miR-198 mimics. GC tissues were characterized by miR-198 down-regulation. Restoration of miR-198 expression attenuated GC cell proliferation and colony formation, meanwhile inducing significant G(0)/G(1) arrest. Furthermore, combinatory therapy of cisplatin and miR-198 induced greater anti-tumor effects than treatment with cisplatin single therapy. We also identified fibroblast growth factor receptor 1 (FGFR1) as a direct target gene of miR-198. Furthermore, FGFR1 silencing elicited a similar tumor-suppressive effect as miR-198 overexpression. FGFR1 overexpression antagonized the anti-tumor effects of miR-198 overexpression. MiR-198/FGFR1 axis plays an important role in proliferation and apoptosis of GC. Therapies targeted to miR-198 can potentially improve GC treatment.