MiR-422a in gastric cancer cells directly targets CDC40 and modulates cell proliferation.

MicroRNAs have been shown to be involved in a variety of different human cancers, including gastric cancer, functioning as post-transcriptional regulators of oncogenes or tumor suppressors. This study aimed to clarify the role of miR-422a in gastric cancer and further elucidate the pathogenesis thereof. To this end, miR-422a expression was initially determined in gastric cancer tissues and cells. Our results showed decreased miR-422a and increased cell division cycle 40 (CDC40) expression in gastric cancer. Dual-luciferase reporter assay further confirmed that miR-422a targeted CDC40. Altogether, this study showed that miR-422a downregulated CDC40, thereby affecting cell cycle progression. Moreover, restoration of miR-422a inhibited gastric cancer cell proliferation. In summary, this study has been the first to show that miR-422a was associated with CDC40 levels in human gastric cancer cells and that disease development may be attributed to CDC40.