MicroRNA-539 inhibits the proliferation and migration of gastric cancer cells by targeting SRY-box 5 gene

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of microRNA (miR)-539 on the proliferation and migration of gastric cancer cells, and explore the underlying mechanism. Gastric cancer cell lines with high or low miR-539 and SRY-box 5 (SOX5) expression levels were constructed by transfection. The proliferation of gastric cancer cells was then detected by Cell Counting Kit-8 assay and cell migration was tested by transwell assay. The results revealed low expression of miR-539 and high expression of SOX5 in gastric cancer tissues and cells as compared with the levels in normal tissues and cells, suggesting that there was a negative correlation between miR-539 and SOX5. Dual-luciferase reporter experiments demonstrated that miR-539 directly targeted SOX5. The proliferation and migration of gastric cancer cells were negatively regulated by the overexpression of miR-539, while positively regulated by the overexpression of SOX5. Notably, SOX5 overexpression attenuated the inhibitory effect of miR-539 on gastric cancer cells. The results suggested that SOX5 is a target gene of miR-539, and that miR-539 inhibits the proliferation and migration of gastric cancer cells by targeting SOX5.