miR-141 suppresses proliferation and motility of gastric cancer cells by targeting HDGF.

miR-141 belongs to the miR-200 family, and has been found to be associated with numerous human malignancies; however, its role in gastric cancer (GC) has not been examined in detail. Here, we validated that miR-141 was decreased in GC tissues and cell lines. Forced expression of miR-141 significantly repressed GC cell proliferation and colony formation. Furthermore, miR-141 suppressed in vitro migration and invasion of GC cells. Hepatoma-derived growth factor (HDGF) was confirmed to be a direct target of miR-141 in GC cells. The suppressive effects of miR-141 on GC cell proliferation, colony formation, in vitro migration, and invasion were partially mediated by suppressing HDGF expression. Moreover, the expression of HDGF was negatively correlated with miR-141 in GC tissues. Our data suggest that miR-141 might be associated and plays essential role in GC progression.