miR-182 controls cell growth in gastrointestinal stromal tumors by negatively regulating CYLD expression

Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are the most common type of mesenchymal tumor of the digestive tract. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short non-coding RNAs, which control gene expression at a post-transcriptional level. Dysregulated miRNAs are involved in various types of human disease, including cancer. In the present study, it was revealed that miRNA-182 (miR-182) expression was significantly upregulated in human GISTs compared with adjacent normal tissues. Overexpression of miR-182 enhanced GIST-T1 cell growth, with increased proliferation and decreased apoptosis. miR-182 upregulation also promoted colony formation and migration of GIST-T1 cells. In addition, cylindromatosis (CYLD) was identified as a direct target of miR-182. Overexpression of miR-182 suppressed CYLD expression and enhanced downstream nuclear factor (NF)-κB activation. It was also determined that the expression of CYLD was downregulated in association with upregulated miR-182 in human GISTs. In conclusion, these results demonstrated that miR-182 promoted GIST cell growth by negatively regulating CYLD expression. These findings indicated that miR-182 antagonist may be a promising therapeutic strategy for the treatment of human GIST.