KIF9‑AS1 promotes nasopharyngeal carcinoma progression by suppressing miR‑16

Abstract

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been reported to serve a crucial role in the progression of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC); however, the underlying molecular mechanisms of lncRNA KIF9-AS1 in the tumorigenesis of NPC remains poorly understood. Reverse transcription-quantitative PCR was used to analyze the expression levels of KIF9-AS1 and microRNA (miR)-16, and Cell Counting Kit-8, wound healing and Transwell assays were used to determine the cell viability, invasion and migration, respectively, of NPC cells. In addition, a dual-luciferase reporter assay was used to analyze the direct interaction between KIF9-AS1 and miR-16. NPC stage was classified according to the seventh edition of the AJCC staging system. The results revealed that KIF9-AS1 expression levels were upregulated in NPC tissues and cell lines. In addition, miR-16 was demonstrated to directly interact with KIF9-AS1 and inhibit KIF9-AS1 expression levels, whereas the miR-16 inhibitor rescued the effects of the KIF9-AS1-knockdown in NPC cells. Furthermore, the expression levels of KIF9-AS1 were upregulated, while those of miR-16 were downregulated in NPC tissues. Notably, the expression levels of KIF9-AS1 were observed to be significantly more upregulated in advanced tumors (III–IV vs. I–II) and patients with high KIF9-AS1 expression levels exhibited a worse prognosis. In conclusion, the findings of the present study suggested that KIF9-AS1 may promote the progression of NPC by targeting miR-16, thus KIF9-AS1 may be a novel molecular target for NPC therapy.

The lncRNA KIF9-AS1 Accelerates Hepatocellular Carcinoma Growth by Recruiting DNMT1 to Promote RAI2 DNA Methylation

“…lncRNA KIF9-AS1 had been previously speculated to promote nasopharyngeal carcinoma progression by targeting miR-16 [ 12 ]. In this study, we found that KIF9-AS1 expression was upregulated in LIHC patients, as determined through an analysis of the StarBase database ( Figure 1(a) ).…”

“…In different diseases, KIF9-AS1 expression levels and functions differ, suggesting that KIF9-AS1 may regulate microRNA (miRNA) expression. For example, lncRNA KIF9-AS1 might promote nasopharyngeal carcinoma progression by targeting miR-16 [ 12 ]. lncRNA KIF9-AS1 has also been shown to enhance chemotherapy resistance in renal cell carcinoma mediated by microRNA-497-5p [ 13 ].…”