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Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) plays an important role in various types of cancer. However, the therapeutic agents that target EGFR have not produced favorable results in gastric cancer. miRNAs are known to regulate gene expression at the post-transcriptional level. We wondered if miRNAs could be potential therapeutic agents for the targeted therapy against EGFR. In this study, we found an increase in the copies of EGFR mRNA and the upregulated expression of the EGFR protein in gastric cancer tissues compared with normal gastric tissues. Both bioinformatic analysis and luciferase reporter assay revealed that miR-455 could directly bind with the 3'-untranslated region (3'UTR) of EGFR mRNA. Subsequently, in vitro studies were conducted to identify the effects of miR-455 on cell proliferation and migration and further confirm the cancer-promoting role of EGFR in gastric cancer. The results revealed that miR-455 negatively regulated EGFR expression at the post-transcriptional level, thus suppressing cell growth and migration. To conclude, our results offer a potential targeted therapeutic method against EGFR in gastric cancer mediated by miR-455.

GC (gastric cancer) remains one of the most lethal malignancies worldwide. EGFR (epidermal growth factor receptor) plays an important role in the malignant process of GC, therefore, the present study addressed the relationship between EGFR and its potential regulators and examined their regulatory mechanisms in GC. We examined differences in the expression levels of EGFR in GC and adjacent non-cancerous tissues. Bioinformatics analyses and dual luciferase reporter assays were used to confirm the putative relationship between miR-138 or miR-204 and EGFR, and their relationship was further detected using western blotting, RT-PCR, and a series of cell studies. EGFR proteins were abundantly expressed in GC tissues, however EGFR mRNA levels remained indistinctive. Consequently, EGFR was revealed as a putative target of miR-138 and miR-204 which bound to the 3′UTR of EGFR mRNA. Further analysis revealed that miR-138 and miR-204 were significantly downregulated in GC tissues and the overexpression of miR-138 and miR-204 in GC cell lines resulted in the significant inhibition of EGFR protein levels and GC cell proliferation and metastasis. Rescue experiments confirmed that the roles of the two microRNAs were specific to EGFR. EGFR is a pivotal oncogene in GC progression that may be regulated by miR-138 and miR-204.

Gastric cancer is one of the most common malignant tumors worldwide; however, the efficacy of clinical treatment is limited. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small non-coding RNAs that have been reported to play a key role in the development of cancer. They also provide novel candidates for targeted therapy. To date, in-depth studies on the molecular mechanisms of gastric cancer involving miRNAs are still absent. We previously reported that 5 miRNAs were identified as being significantly increased in gastric cancer, and the role of these miRNAs was investigated in the present study. By using bioinformatics tools, we found that more than 4,000 unique genes are potential downstream targets of gastric cancer miRNAs, and these targets belong to the protein class of nucleic acid binding, transcription factor, enzyme modulator, transferase and receptor. Pathway mapping showed that the targets of gastric cancer miRNAs are involved in the MAPK signaling pathway, pathways in cancer, the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, the HTLV-1 signaling pathway and Ras signaling pathway, thus regulating cell growth, differentiation, apoptosis and metastasis. Analysis of the pathways related to miRNAs may provides potential drug targets for future therapy of gastric cancer.

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is known to be overexpressed in ~30% of gastric cancer (GC) cases, and may serve as an effective biomarker for predicting the clinical benefit of anti-EGFR therapy. However, the mechanism underlying the regulation of EGFR expression remains unknown. Evidence indicates that post-transcriptional regulation may exist in the process of EGFR expression. In the present study, we aimed to explore whether miR-370 is involved in this process, and how it impacts the biological behaviors of GC cells. In the present study, we first determined the role of EGFR in GC by means of an EGFR overexpression plasmid and siRNAs. Then, the expression levels of EGFR protein and mRNA in GC tissues were analyzed through immunohistochemistry and quantitative RT-PCR (RT-qPCR). Bioinformatics tools and dual-luciferase assay were applied to predict and validate the relevant miRNA targeting EGFR. Finally, human GC MGC-803 cells were selected to explore the effect of miRNA on cell proliferation and migration. We found that suppression of EGFR inhibited the proliferation and migration of GC cells. In addition, the levels of EGFR protein in the GC tissues were ~4 times higher than that in the corresponding paired non-cancerous tissues while the mRNA levels of EGFR were only ~2-fold as high as that in the adjacent non-cancerous tissues. Bioinformatics tools predicted that miRNA-370 was a regulator of EGFR and dual‑luciferase assay validated that miR-370 could directly bind to the 3'-untranslated region (3'-UTR) of EGFR mRNA. Meanwhile, an inverse correlation between miR-370 and EGFR was found in the GC tissues. Overexpression of miR-370 suppressed the proliferation and migration of GC cells, while downregulation of miR-370 promoted proliferation and migration. The present study may provide new information for understanding the molecular mechanism underlying the regulation of EGFR protein expression in GC and may be of important clinical significance to guide targeted therapy.