Further downregulation of miR-29a in GC cells by antagomiRs abrogated the effects of hTERT downregulation; this led to a partial restoration of the ITGB1 protein level (Fig. 5e), and the invasive and metastatic potentials of gastric cancer cells were partially reversed (Fig. 6a,b). This evidence concerns the gene ITGB1 and gastric cancer.