Study of the difference between expression of mir34a and its target genes, c-MET and Cyclin D1, in gastric cancer and tumor margin tissue and the effect of this microRNA on the activation of apoptosis in gastric adenocarcinoma cell lines

Abstract

Gastric cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world with a high mortality rate. It is important to explore the mechanism of tumor progression. MiR-34a is a gene that can suppress a tumor. The aim of this study was to evaluate the expression of this gene in normal tumor and tumor marginal cells in gastric adenocarcinoma specimens. Methods: 50 patients with gastric cancer were enrolled after confirmation of diagnosis. DNA was extracted from tissue samples (tumor tissue and tumor margin tissue) of patients, then expressing miR-34a and c-MET and cyclin D1 genes using Real Time method were measured. The association between miR-34a expression and apoptosis was also assessed. Results: The miR-34a expression in tumor tissue was significantly lower than that of tumor margin (P <0.001). Expression of this gene significantly decreased both c-MET and cyclin D1 target genes (P <0.001). The cell death rate is about 50% higher if miR-34a is expressed.