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Background MiRNAs are involved in aberrant DNA methylation through regulation of DNA methyltransferases (DNMTs) in the pathogenesis and progression of glioblastomas (GBM). MiR-152-3p was down-expressed in human malignancies, and served as a tumor suppressor. Neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2) was significantly decreased in GBM tissues with a high level of methylation. However, the link between miR-152-3p, DNMT1 and methylation of NF2 in GBM is not clearly established. This study was conducted to detect the mechanism between miR-152-3p, DNMT1 and NF2 in GBM. Methods The levels of DNMT1 and NF2 expression were studied by qRT-PCR, Western blot, immunofluorescence, and immumohistochemical staining. Methylation in the promoter region of NF2 was detected by methylation-specific PCR and bisulfate genomic sequencing PCR. Cell proliferation was examined by Cell-Counting Kit-8 and 5-ethynyl-2′-deoxyuridine assay, and cell invasion was evaluated by transwell assay. Flow cytomery and Hoechst staining were used to analyze cell apoptosis. A dual luciferase system was used to confirm the relationship between miR-152-3p and DNMT1. Results Methylation of NF2 and DNMT1 was markedly increased, and miR-152-3p was downregulated in GBM tissues and glioma cells. Both knockdown of DNMT1 and overexpression miR-152-3p showed that demethylation activated the expression of NF2. Furthermore, miR-152-3p directly targeted DNMT1. Both miR-152-3p overexpression and DNMT1 knockdown significantly induced cell apoptosis and inhibited invasive activity. This was also observed after NF2 overexpression. Conclusions These results indicated that miR-152-3p can inhibit glioma cell proliferation and invasion activities by decreasing DNMT1. The restoration of miR-152-3p may have therapeutic application in the treatment of GBM. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13046-017-0567-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.