Identification of key miRNAs and genes associated with stomach adenocarcinoma from The Cancer Genome Atlas database

Stomach adenocarcinoma (STAD) is the second leading cause of cancer death and a fuller understanding of its molecular basis is needed to develop new therapeutic targets. miRNA and mRNA data were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas database, and the differentially expressed miRNAs and genes were identified. The target genes of differentially expressed miRNAs were screened by prediction tools. Furthermore, the biological function of these target genes was investigated. Several key miRNAs and their target genes were selected for validation using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). The Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) dataset was used to verify the expression of selected miRNAs and target genes. The diagnostic value of identified miRNAs and genes was accessed by receiver operating characteristic analysis. A total of 1248 differentially expressed genes were identified in STAD. Additionally, nine differentially expressed miRNAs were identified and 160 target genes of these nine miRNAs were identified via target gene detection. Interestingly, they were remarkably enriched in the calcium signaling pathway and bile secretion. qRT-PCR confirmed the expression of several key miRNAs and their target genes. The expression levels of hsa-miR-145-3p, hsa-miR-1455p, ADAM12, ACAN, HOXC11 and MMP11 in the GEO database were compatible with the bioinformatics results. hsa-miR-139-5p, hsa-miR-1453p and MMP11 have a potential diagnostic value for STAD. Differential expression of the mature form of miRNAs (hsa-miR-139-5p, hsa-miR-1453p, hsa-miR-145-5p and hsa-miR-490-3p) and genes including ADAM12, ACAN, HOXC11 and MMP11 and calcium and bile secretion signaling pathways may play important roles in the development of STAD.