Abstract: Objective To investigate the expression changes of Mettl-14 mRNA in gastric cancer tissues and the functional significance of Mettl-14 in MGC-803 cell lines. Methods Real-time PCR analysis was performed to detect the relative expression level of Mettl-14 mRNA in 83 pairs of clinical gastric cancer tissues and their normal control tissues. RNA interference was used to knock-down the endogenous Mettl-14 level in MGC-803 cells. The effects of Mettl-14 knock-down on cell proliferation, cell cycle, cell migration and invasion were detected by CCK-8, FACS, wounding heal and Transwell assays, respectively. Results The expression level of Mettl-14 mRNA was down-regulated in gastric cancer compared to the normal tissues, and its down-regulation was correlated with tumor grade. Furthermore, knock-down of endogenous Mettl-14 could promote cell proliferation, cell cycle progression, cell migration and invasion. Conclusions Mettl-14 might act as a tumor suppressor in gastric carcinogenesis, and it might sever as a novel biomarker and therapy target for gastric cancer.

Key words: Mettl-14, gastric cancer, MGC-803