Long non-coding RNA UFC1 promotes gastric cancer progression by regulating miR-498/Lin28b

Abstract

BackgroundLong non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have emerged as important regulators of human cancers. However, the functional roles of lncRNAs and the mechanisms responsible for their aberrant expression in gastric cancer (GC) have not been well characterized.MethodsIn this study, we examined the expression of lncRNA UFC1 in GC by qRT-PCR and explored its correlation with clinicopathological parameters. In vitro cell functional assays and in vivo animal studies were performed to determine the roles of UFC1 in GC progression.ResultsUFC1 was elevated and predicted poorer prognosis in GC. UFC1 knockdown inhibited while UFC1 overexpression promoted GC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. UFC1 bound to miR-498 to antagonize its tumor suppressive effect on Lin28b. Suppression of Lin28b by miR-498 could be rescued by UFC1 overexpression, whereas Lin28b overexpression partially rescued UFC1 knockdown-mediated inhibition of GC cell function. Lin28b expression was increased in GC and suggested a co-expression pattern with UFC1.ConclusionsUFC1 has a promoting role in GC progression, at least in part, by acting as a miR-498 sponge and derepressing Lin28b expression, which would provide a novel biomarker for GC diagnosis and prognosis and offer a potential target for GC therapy.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s13046-018-0803-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Exosome-transmitted lncRNA UFC1 promotes non-small-cell lung cancer progression by EZH2-mediated epigenetic silencing of PTEN expression

“…In this study, we analyzed the expression of lncRNA UFC1 in NSCLC patients and investigated its biological roles in NSCLC progression. Our results showed that UFC1 expression was significantly upregulated in NSCLC tissues compared to adjacent normal lung tissues, which is consistent with previous studies showing that UFC1 is upregulated in HCC 13 , colorectal cancer 14 , and gastric cancer 16 . We reported that UFC1 was highly expressed in serum and serum exosomes of NSCLC patients compared to that of pneumonia patients and healthy controls, indicating that UFC1 may represent a convenient and reliable biomarker for the diagnosis of NSCLC patients.…”

“…Exosomes were isolated from serum samples and NSCLC cells following our previous protocol 16 . The size and concentration of exosomes were determined using Nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA) (Nanosight LM10).…”

“…In cervical cancer, UFC1 upregulated FOXP3 expression through competitively binding miR-34a, promoting cervical cancer growth and metastasis 15 . We reported that UFC1 was upregulated in gastric cancer and UFC1 promoted GC progression by acting as a miR-498 sponge to activate Lin28b expression 16 . However, the expression and role of UFC1 in NSCLC have not been characterized.…”

LncRNA GClnc1 promotes proliferation and invasion of bladder cancer through activation of MYC

“…Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) more than 200 nt in length have been associated with various functions in cancer (7,8). Many studies suggest that lncRNAs may play a role in carcinogenesis (9).…”

miR-498 inhibits cell proliferation and metastasis by targeting FOXK1 in gastric cancer

“…It has been widely reported that miR-498 were involved in the regulation of various cancers and were considered to be the prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target for prostate cancer [9] , triple negative breast cancer [10] , esophageal squamous cell carcinoma [11] , liver cancer [12] and non-small cell lung cancer [13] . A previous study has found the overexpression miR-498 inhibits gastric cancer cell proliferation, migration and invasion and the long non-coding RNA UFC1 promotes gastric cancer progression by regulating miR-498/Lin28b [14] . However, the function of other miR-498's molecular targets in gastric cancer remain elusive.…”