MiR-150 promotes gastric cancer proliferation by negatively regulating the pro-apoptotic gene EGR2

Accumulating evidence suggests small non-coding RNAs (microRNAs) play important roles in human cancer progression. In the present study, we found miR-150 was overexpressed in gastric cancer cell lines and tissues. Ectopic expression of miR-150 promoted tumorigenesis and proliferation of gastric cancer cells. Luciferase reporter assay demonstrated that EGR2 was a direct target of miR-150. Collectively, our study demonstrated that overexpression of miR-150 in gastric cancer could promote proliferation and growth of cancer cells at least partially through directly targeting the tumor-suppressor EGR2, suggesting a potential strategy for the development of miRNA-based treatment of gastric cancer.