Snail-regulated MiR-375 inhibits migration and invasion of gastric cancer cells by targeting JAK2

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been reported to play a critical role in cancer invasion and metastasis. Our previous study showed that miR-375 frequently downregulated in gastric cancer suppresses cell proliferation by targeting Janus kinase 2 (JAK2). Here, we further found that the expression level of miR-375 is significantly decreased in metastatic gastric cancer tissues compared with the non-metastasis controls. Ectopic expression of miR-375 inhibits the migration and invasion of gastric cancer cells partially by targeting JAK2. Furthermore, miR-375 expression is negatively regulated by the metastasis associated transcription factor Snail, which directly binds to the putative promoter of miR-375. Moreover, overexpression of Snail can partially reverse the inhibition of gastric cancer cell migration caused by miR-375. Taken together, these data suggest that miR-375 may be negatively regulated by Snail and involved in gastric cancer cell migration and invasion potentially by targeting JAK2.