MicroRNA-183 inhibits gastric cancer proliferation and invasion via directly targeting Bmi-1

The aberrant expression of microRNA-183 (miRNA/miR-183) has been found to be involved in numerous tumor types. However, the role of miR-183 in gastric cancer pathology is unclear and requires investigation. In the present study, the miR-183 expression levels of gastric cancer cell lines and tissues obtained from gastric cancer patients were measured by reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis. The effect of miR-183 on gastric cancer cell proliferation and invasion was evaluated using MTT, colony formation and Transwell assays. The target of miR-183 was identified and confirmed using a luciferase activity assay. The results revealed that miR-183 was significantly downregulated in gastric cancer cells compared with GES-1 normal gastric epithelial cells. In addition, miR-183 was reduced in gastric cancer tissues compared with adjacent normal tissues. The ectopic expression of miR-183 significantly inhibited gastric cancer cell proliferation, colony formation and invasion. Bmi-1 was also confirmed as a downstream target of miR-183 in the gastric cancer cells by western blot analysis and luciferase activity assays. In conclusion, miR-183 is downregulated in gastric cancer cells and tissues, and inhibits gastric cancer cell proliferation and invasion by targeting Bmi-1. Therefore, targeting miR-183 may be a potential therapeutic strategy in gastric cancer patients.