miR-539-3P inhibits proliferation and invasion of gastric cancer cells by targeting CTBP1

Gastric cancer is the fifth most lethal carcinoma in the world. Genetic and epigenetic factors transform the normal cells into malignant cells and lead to tumor development. MicroRNA (miRNA), a small non-coding RNA which functions in RNA silencing and post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression, is closely associated with cancer initiation and propagation, including stomach cancer. In this study, for the first time, we report miR-539-3P, as a tumor suppressor, was down-regulated in gastric cancer both in vivo and in vitro. In addition, dysfunction of miR-539-3P regulates gastric cancer cell proliferation and invasion. Bioinformatics analysis revealed CTBP1 is the direct target of miR-539-3P and high expression of CTBP1 faciliates the progression of gastric carcinoma through promoting the epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT). Overall, these results indicate that epigenetic regulation of CTBP1 through miR-539-3P is critical to gastric cancer and provide a new insight into gastric cancer diagnosis, treatment and prognosis.