OBJECTIVE: To investigate the potential effects of miR-144/GSPT1 axis on the development of gastric cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The expressions of GSPT1 (G1 to S Phase Transition 1) and miR-144 were detected in gastric cancer tissues and the adjacent normal tissues. We also explored the levels of GSPT1 and miR-144 in both normal gastric cell line (GES-1) and gastric cells (SGC7901). Luciferase assay was conducted to evaluate the interaction between miR-144 and GSPT1. The effects of the miR-144/GSPT1 axis on SGC7901 cells were determined via investigating cell proliferation, invasion and metastasis. RESULTS: miR-144 was found to be down-regulated in gastric cancer tissues while GSPT1 expression level was markedly increased. Bioinformatics analysis showed that GSPT1 was a direct target of miR-144. Luciferase assays confirmed our hypothesis. The subsequent experiments showed that miR-144 could promote cell proliferation, invasion and migration in gastric cancer cells via inhibiting GSPT1. CONCLUSIONS: We showed that miR-144/GSPT1 axis could be a potential therapeutic target in treatment of gastric cancer.