MiR-877 suppresses gastric cancer progression by downregulating AQP3

OBJECTIVES: Gastric cancer (GC) is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide; however, the underlying molecular mechanisms of GC remain unclear. This study investigated the role of the miR-877–AQP3 axis in GC tumorigenesis. METHODS: The levels of miR-877 expression were measured in GC tissues and cell lines by qRT-PCR. Functional assays were performed to elucidate the role of miR-877 in GC development. RESULTS: Our results showed that miR-877 levels were lower in GC tissues and cell lines compared with the corresponding controls. Additionally, reduced miR-877 levels were associated with unfavorable prognoses. Increased miR-877 expression suppressed proliferation, invasion, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition, while promoting apoptosis in GC cells. Luciferase reporter assays showed that aquaporin 3 (AQP3) was a direct downstream target of miR-877. Overexpression of AQP3 partially rescued the tumor suppressive effects of miR-877 in GC cells. Moreover, miR-877 was negatively correlated with AQP3 mRNA expression in GC tissues. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated that miR-877 plays a suppressive role in GC tumorigenesis by regulating AQP3.