MicroRNA-27a-3p promotes epithelial-mesenchymal transition by targeting NOVA alternative splicing regulator 1 in gastric cancer

摘要

NOVA alternative splicing regulator 1 (NOVA1) dysregulation has been detected in the gastric cancer microenvironment. Decreased NOVA1 expression has been linked to the progression and poor prognosis of gastric cancer; however, the role of NOVA1 in regulating epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) remains unclear in this disease. Experimental evidence has shown that miR-27a-3p is a potential oncogene in gastric cancer. In the present study, we observed that miR-27a-3p expression was increased in gastric cancer and was inversely associated with overall survival. Overexpression of miR-27a-3p promoted EMT in AGS gastric cancer cells. Additionally, overexpression of miR-27a-3p inhibited NOVA1 expression, while silencing of NOVA1 promoted EMT in AGS cells. A total of 108 gastric cancer samples were examined for NOVA1 expression by immunohistochemistry. Decreased NOVA1 expression was linked to lymph node metastasis, tumor-node-metastasis stage and shorter overall survival. Therefore, these results indicated that NOVA1 could be a potential tumor suppressive gene and that miR-27a-3p promotes EMT by targeting NOVA1 in gastric cancer.