MicroRNA-106a targets TIMP2 to regulate invasion and metastasis of gastric cancer

•miR-106a is elevated in gastric cancer.•miR-106a triggers proliferation and metastasis.•miR-106a locates in metastasis-associated areas.•TIMP2 is inversely correlated with miR-106a.

Emerging evidence has shown that microRNA plays an important role in tumor development and progression. Here, we report that miR-106a is frequently up-regulated in gastric cancer tissues and positively correlates with metastasis. Restrained expression of miR-106a in gastric cancer cells significantly reduces their capacity of proliferation, migration and invasion. In tissue sections, the positive signal of miR-106a localized in metastasis-associated regions confirmed this result. Moreover, we show that TIMP2 is a direct downstream target for miR-106a and knockdown of TIMP2 strengthens the beneficial effects of miR-106a. Our study adds miR-106a to the complex mechanisms of tumor metastasis.