MicroRNA-744 induces apoptosis and autophagy in human gastric cancer by targeting heparanase-1

Purpose: To study the possible anti-cancer effects of miR-744 on human gastric cancer cells, and the underlying mechanism. Methods: The mRNA expression of miR-744 was determined using qRT-PCR, while CCK-8, Annexin V/PI and acridine orange assays were used to determine cell viability, apoptosis and autophagy, respectively. The expressions of target proteins were determined using qRT-PCR and Immunoblotting. Results: Significant suppressions of miR-744 were observed in gastric cancer tissues and cell lines. Overexpression of miR-744 inhibited the proliferation while silencing of miR-744 promoted the proliferation of gastric cancer cells. Furthermore, the tumor-suppressive effect of miR-744 in gastric cancer was due to induction of apoptosis and autophagy. Heparanase-1 (HPSE-1) was identified as the target of miR-744. Silencing of HSPE-1 significantly inhibited cell proliferation, whereas its overexpression significantly restored the growth-inhibitory effects of miR-744 overexpression on gastric cancer (p < 0.05). Conclusion: These results indicate that miR-744 exerts a tumor-suppressive effect on the growth and proliferation of gastric cancer cells in vitro by targeting HPSE-1. There is need to further determine the anti-cancer effect of miR-744 expression in animal models.