The long noncoding RNA HOXA11 antisense induces tumor progression and stemness maintenance in cervical cancer

Abstract

Recent research has focused on the impact of long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) in cervical carcinogenesis. However, whether HOXA11 antisense (HOXA11-AS) is involved in cervical cancer remains to be elucidated. In the present study, we examined HOXA11-AS expression levels in cervical cancer patients and determined the relationships between HOXA11-AS expression and clinicopathological factors. We also investigated the bio-functional consequences of HOXA11-AS overexpression both in vitro and in vivo. HOXA11-AS expression was significantly greater in tissues from patients with cervical cancer than in control patients (P<0.001). Multivariate analysis showed that high HOXA11-AS was an independent prognosticator of overall survival (Hazard ratio=2.450, P=0.032). HOXA11-AS overexpression enhanced cell proliferation, migration, and tumor invasion in vitro, whereas HOXA11-AS knockdown inhibited these biologic aggressive features. These adverse changes were accompanied by characteristics of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). In vivo xenograft experiments using the siHOXA11-AS-transfected HeLa cells revealed that HOXA11-AS strongly induced tumor growth. Furthermore, we found that HOXA11-AS knockdown decreased cancer stemness and triggered the EMT program. In conclusion, HOXA11-AS overexpression correlated with poor survival in patients with cervical cancer. Thus, HOXA11-AS may be a pivotal target for exploring novel cervical cancer therapeutics.

lncRNA DLEU1 contributes to tumorigenesis and development of endometrial carcinoma by targeting mTOR

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Upregulated long noncoding RNA LINC01296 indicates a dismal prognosis for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma and promotes cell metastatic properties by affecting EMT

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LNMICC Promotes Nodal Metastasis of Cervical Cancer by Reprogramming Fatty Acid Metabolism

“…CAN-17-2356 promote lymphangiogenesis and distant metastasis of cancer by interacting with RNA, DNA, or proteins [14,15]. In recent years, the expression of certain lncRNAs has been frequently reported to be functionally important for cervical cancer, including lincRNA-p21 [16], HOXA11-AS [17], HOTAIR [18] and ANRIL [19]. In our previous study, we identified a lncRNA termed LNMICC (lncRNA associated with LN metastasis in cervical cancer) (GenBank: HG501394.1, ENST00000518880.1) that is upregulated in cervical cancer tissues with LN metastasis compared to its expression in those without LN metastasis [20].…”