miR-337-3p inhibits gastric tumor metastasis by targeting ARHGAP10

Several microRNAs (miRNAs) are known as regulatory molecules involved in gastric tumor metastasis. The expression of miR-337-3p was revealed to be downregulated in metastatic gastric tumor cells. Overexpression of miR-337-3p in gastric cancer cells resulted in the reduction of their invasive abilities. To characterize the functions of miR-337-3p, miR-337-3p was expressed in a metastatic lymph node-derived gastric tumor cell line, SGC-7901. Overexpression of miR-337-3p reduced the viability of cells but had no effects on the cell cycle. Wound healing and Transwell migration assays revealed that miR-337-3p inhibited the migration capacity of cells. miR-337-3p was capable of binding to the 3′-untranslated region of a cytoskeleton-associated molecule, ARHGAP10. Overexpression of miR-337-3p reduced the mRNA and protein levels of ARHGAP10 and the co-expression of ARHGAP10 and miR-337-3p resulted in the recovery of cell migration capacity. Furthermore, the injection of miR-337-3p-overexpressing SGC-7901 cells into an immunodeficient mouse model resulted in a decrease in tumor metastasis in the liver and lungs. The present results indicated that miR-337-3p regulates gastric tumor metastasis by targeting the cytoskeleton-associated protein ARHGAP10.