miR-7641 depletion suppresses proliferation of gastric cancer cells by targeting ARID1A.

Gastric cancer (GC) is lethal and there is an urgent need for improved understanding of this disease. Recent studies have reported that microRNAs (miRNAs) play increasingly important roles in the regulation of GC. In this study, we explored the target genes and effects of miR-7641 in GC. Our data showed that high miR-7641 expression was associated with low expression of ARID1A in GC tissue. miR-7641 expression promoted GC cell proliferation and colony formation. Luciferase reporter assay results confirmed that ARID1A was a target gene of miR-7641. Furthermore, downregulation of ARID1A expression caused a significant increase in GC cell proliferation. In vivo depletion of miR-7641 reduced tumor volume and weight and increased ARID1A and Ki67 expression as well as a decreased terminal-deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated nick end labeling in mouse tumor tissues. Conversely, ARID1A silencing reversed the suppressive effects of miR-7641 inhibitors on GC cells. Overall, these findings indicate that miR-7641 is a promising novel prognostic biomarker of GC and may represent a novel target for clinical management of GC.