The Value of MiR-383, an Intronic MiRNA, as a Diagnostic and Prognostic Biomarker in Intestinal-Type Gastric Cancer.

MicroRNAs, a class of gene expression regulatory non-coding RNAs, participate in the pathogenic mechanisms of gastric cancer which is one of the life-treating cancers. Due to its aberrant expression in some types of human cancer, miR-383 has the value of being investigated in relation to cancer treatment and diagnosis. MiR-383 is placed in intron of SGCZ, a protein-coding gene, which is subject to dysregulation in various diseases. The purpose of the current study was to investigate the contribution of miR-383 to intestinal-type gastric adenocarcinoma tumorigenesis. The expression level of miR-383 was investigated by qRT-PCR in pairs of tumorous and adjacent tumor-free tissues of 40 patients with gastric cancer during endoscopy. Also, the susceptibility of miR-383 as a tumor marker and the relationship between its aberrant expression and clinicopathological features were determined. qRT-PCR data showed that miR-383 was dysregulated during gastric tumorigenesis. MiR-383 was dramatically downregulated up to sevenfold in intestinal-type gastric adenocarcinoma compared with adjacent tumor-free tissues (P < 0.001). Misregulation of miR-383 did not reveal a significant correlation with clinical characteristics. The ROC area of 80% with 76% sensitivity and 84% specificity was determined by P < 0.001. The current study demonstrated downregulation of miR-383 in intestinal-type gastric adenocarcinoma. Downregulation of miR-383 might be used as a potential tumor marker for the diagnosis of gastric cancer or could be a potential target for gene therapy.