MiR-4268 suppresses gastric cancer genesis through inhibiting keratin 80

Gastric cancer (GC) affects a large proportion of cancer patients worldwide, and the prediction of potential biomarkers can greatly improve its diagnosis and treatment. Here, miR-4268 and keratin 80 (KRT80) expression in GC tissues and cell lines was determined. The effect of downregulating miR-4268 and interfering with KRT80 expression on the viability, proliferation, apoptosis, and migration of GC cells were evaluated. The interaction between miR-4268 and KRT80 was studied using luciferase reporter and RNA pull-down assays. The western blot, CCK-8, BrdU, caspase-3 activity, Transwell assays were performed for the functional characterization. In GC tissues and cells, KRT80 expression was found to be significantly higher, while that of miR-4268 was significantly lower than the respective expressions in normal tissues and cells. Interference with KRT80 expression inhibited the viability, proliferation, and migration of GC cells and facilitated cell apoptosis in vitro. We further demonstrated that miR-4268 targeted KRT80 and negatively regulated its expression, and miR-4268 inhibitor alleviated the inhibitory effects of KRT80 downregulation on GC cell growth. Finally, miR-4268 may function as tumor suppressor through inhibiting PI3K/AKT/JNK pathways by targeting KRT80 in GC. Collectively, our present results indicate that the miR-4268/KRT80 axis acts as a potential therapeutic target for patients with GC.Abbreviations: Gastric cancer (GC); MicroRNAs (miRNAs); Keratin 80 (KRT80); differentially expressed genes (DEGs); chemoradiotherapy (CRT); negative nonsense sequence (NC); radioimmunoprecipitation assay (RIPA); polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF).