miR-4742-5p promotes invasiveness of gastric cancer via targeting Rab43: An in vitro study

miRNA (miR)-4742-5p is a recently identified microRNA regarding progression and metastasis in gastric cancer (GC). However, the biological function of this novel miRNA is largely unknown. We identified that the miR-4742-5p expression level was variably increased in GC cell lines. Suppression of miR-4742-5p using miR-inhibitor reduced the proliferation, migration, and invasion of GC cells with high miR-4742-5p expression, whereas overexpression of miR-4742-5p-mimic enhanced the aforementioned properties in GC cells with low miR-4742-5p expression. miR-4742-5p expression induced the decreases of Zo1 and E-cadherin expression as well as the increases of vimentin and N-cadherin expression, leading to epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of cancer cells. RNA sequencing results indicated Ras-related GTP-binding protein 43 (Rab43) as a potential target gene. We identified that the expression of Rab43 is associated with activation of AKT and nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kB) which are key oncogenic pathways in cancer cells. Our results demonstrate a new component in GC progression, promising a potential therapeutic strategy.(c) 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

miR-4742-5p is a microRNA identified in gastric cancer that plays a role in cancer progression and metastasis. Its overexpression promotes the proliferation, migration, and invasion of gastric cancer cells and induces epithelial-mesenchymal transition. Rab43 is identified as a potential target gene, and its expression is associated with the activation of AKT and NF-kB.