MiR-152 has been reported may be involved in carcinogenesis in gastric cancer. However, its role has not been comprehensively investigated in gastric cancer. We found miR-152 in human gastric cancer tissues were significantly lower than that in matched adjacent normal tissues. Meanwhile, lower miR-152 was also found in gastric cancer cell lines. The stage, tumor size and lymph node metastasis rate were significant higher in low-miR-152 group in clinical patients. Furthermore, there was a marked correlation between the levels of miR-152 and B7-H1 mRNA in gastric cancer tissues. Mechanistically, miR-152 directly bind to B7-H1 3' untranslated region in gastric cancer cell and inhibited B7-H1 expression. Functional study demonstrated that elevation of miR-152 enhanced T cells proliferation and effector cytokines production via inhibiting B7-H1/PD-1 pathway. In conclusion, our work identified a novel mechanism by which immune response is increased by expression of miR-152 via targeting B7-H1. MiR-152 may be a potential therapeutic approach for gastric cancer.
Keywords: B7-H1; gastric cancer; immune response; microRNA-152.