MIR-1265 regulates cellular proliferation and apoptosis by targeting calcium binding protein 39 in gastric cancer and, thereby, impairing oncogenic autophagy

Increasing evidence indicates that microRNAs (miRNAs) play an important role in various tumors by regulating downstream target genes and diverse signaling pathways. Herein, we confirmed miR-1265 expression in gastric cancer (GC) using the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database and assessed the level of miR-1265 expression in clinical specimens and cell lines. We found that miR-1265 expression was negatively correlated with tumor size. Further functional analysis revealed that miR-1265 suppresses cellular proliferation and autophagy while inducing apoptosis in GC cells. A luciferase reporter assay was used to identify an miR-1265 targeted gene, calcium binding protein 39 (CAB39), which is an essential upstream regulator in the AMPK-mTOR signaling pathway. Upregulation or downregulation of CAB39 expression reversed the effects of miR-1265 overexpression or inhibition, respectively. Notably, the knockdown of autophagy-related gene 12 (ATG12) impaired the effects of miR-1265 inhibition or CAB39 overexpression in GC. MiR-1265 also suppressed the growth of GC cells in vivo and that of human gastric organoids. Altogether, our results show that miR-1265 suppresses GC progression and oncogenic autophagy by reducing CAB39 expression and regulating the AMPK-mTOR signaling pathway. Therefore, miR-1265 may represent a potential therapeutic target for GC.