Down-regulation of miR-622 in gastric cancer promotes cellular invasion and tumor metastasis by targeting ING1 gene.

AIM: To evaluate the biological and clinical characteristics of miR-622 in gastric cancer.

METHODS: We analyzed the expression of miR-622 in 57 pair matched gastric neoplastic and adjacent non-neoplastic tissues by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Functional analysis of miR-622 expression was assessed in vitro in gastric cancer cell lines with miR-622 precursor and inhibitor. The roles of miR-622 in tumorigenesis and tumor metastasis were analyzed using a stable miR-622 expression plasmid in nude mice. A luciferase reporter assay was used to assess the effect of miR-622 on inhibitor of growth family, member 1 (ING1) expression.

RESULTS: Expression of miR-622 was down-regulated in gastric cancer. MiR-622 was found involved in differentiation and lymphatic metastasis in human gastric cancer. Ectopic expression of miR-622 promoted invasion, tumorigenesis and metastasis of gastric cancer cells both in vitro and in vivo. ING1 is a direct target of miR-622.

CONCLUSION: These findings help clarify the molecular mechanisms involved in gastric cancer metastasis and indicate that miR-622 modulation may be a bona fide treatment of gastric cancer.