Effect of upregulation of MiR-29c-3p on gene expression during proliferation and metastasis of gastric cancer cells

Restoration of MiR-29c-3p expression significantly suppresses cellular proliferation, migration, and invasion, while inducing apoptosis and G1 phase arrest in GC cells. Transcriptomic profiling reveals that MiR-29c-3p modulates genes involved in signal transduction, angiogenesis, and extracellular matrix reorganization, primarily through inhibition of the PI3K/AKT signaling cascade.

Mechanistically, MiR-29c-3p directly targets the SLC6A14 oncogene, as validated by RNA pull-down and dual-luciferase assays. This targeting is essential for MiR-29c-3p’s tumor-suppressive function: suppression of SLC6A14 blocks epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and inactivates PI3K/pAKT signaling in GC cells. Both in vitro and in vivo models confirm that MiR-29c-3p upregulation inhibits tumor progression via the SLC6A14-PI3K/AKT axis.