Deregulation of CSMD1 targeted by microRNA-10b drives gastric cancer progression through the NF-κB pathway

Aim: This study aimed to investigate the oncogenic activity of microRNA-10b by targeting CUB and sushi multiple domains protein 1 (CSMD1) in human gastric cancer (GC) and the underlying mechanisms. Methods: The expression of CSMD1 in human GC tissues was evaluated by real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), immunoblotting, and immunohistochemical analysis. The expressive abundance of microRNA-10b was detected by stem-loop RT-PCR. Molecular and cellular techniques, including lentiviral vector-mediated knockdown or overexpression, were used to elucidate the effect of microRNA-10b on the expression of CSMD1. Results: CSMD1 was targeted and downregulated by microRNA-10b in human GC tissues and cells, and the down-regulated expression of CSMD1 contributed to poor survival. The knockdown of microRNA-10b expression inhibited cell proliferation in GC cells in vitro and tumor growth in vivo. The inhibition of microRNA-10b expression repressed invasion and migration of HGC27 cells and retarded GC cells metastasis to the liver in Balb/c nude mice. The up-regulated expression of microRNA-10b promoted the proliferation and metastasis of MKN74 cell in vitro. Intratumoral injection of microRNA-10b mimic also promoted the growth and metastasis of tumor xenografts in Balb/c nude mice. Mechanistically, microRNA-10b promoted the invasion and metastasis of human GC cells through inhibiting the expression of CSMD1, leading to the activation of the nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) pathway that links inflammation to carcinogenesis, subsequently resulting in the upregulation of c-Myc, cyclin D1 (CCND1), and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) markers. Conclusions: The findings established that microRNA-10b is an oncomiR that drives metastasis. Moreover, a set of critical tumor suppressor mechanisms was defined that microRNA-10b overcame to drive human GC progression.