Lung cancer remains a leading cause of cancer-associated mortality worldwide and non-small lung cancer (NSCLC) is responsible for over 80% of lung cancer-related deaths. Identifying novel molecular biomarker that can inhibit the progression of lung cancer will facilitate the development of new treatment strategies. Phospholipase C epsilon 1 (PLCE1) is a susceptibility gene in NSCLC. Nevertheless, the role of PLCE1 in NSCLC tumorigenesis has not been elucidated. Herein, we demonstrated that miR-1976 is a tumor-suppressor miRNA in NSCLC progression. We found that expression of miR-1976 was decreased obviously in NSCLC tissues. Down-regulation of miR-1976 was associated with TNM stage and postoperative survival. Overexpression of miR-1976 inhibited the growth and metastasis of NSCLC cells. The PLCE1 was a direct target of miR-1976 and promoted the growth and metastasis of NSCLC cells. Further study showed that PLCE1 could reverse the inhibitory effect of miR-1976 on growth and metastasis of NSCLC cells. Taken together, our data highlight the pivotal role of miR-1976 in the progression of NSCLC. Thus, miR-1976 may be a potential prognostic marker and of treatment relevance for NSCLC progression intervention. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier Inc.