Effects of long intergenic non-coding RNA FEZF1-AS1 on proliferation and invasion of gastric cancer cells SGC-7901

Abstract

Objective To investigate the effects of long intergenic non-coding RNA (Linc) FEZF1-AS1 on proliferation and invasion of SGC-7901 cells. Methods The SGC-7901 cells were classified into two groups: FEZF1-AS1 small interfering RNA (si-FEZF1-AS1) and the negative control siRNA (si-NC). Linc FEZF1-AS1 was knocked down in si-FEZF1-AS1 group by small interfering RNA (siRNA). The proliferative activity of SGC-7901 cells was determined by colony formation assay and cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay, and the invasion ability was studied by wound healing assay and Transwell assay. The expression levels of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-related molecules was detected by RT-PCR and Western blotting. Results The results of colony formation assay showed that the colony-forming capacity was impaired in si-FEZF1-AS1 group compared to the si-NC group [(26.78±3.34)% vs. (43.22±4.35)%, t=5.194, P=0.007]; CCK-8 results revealed that the proliferation of SGC-7901 cells was dramatically inhibited in si-FEZF1-AS1 group after 3 days [(31.32±4.48)% vs. (13.86±0.64)%, t=11.590, P=0.000]; Scratch tests showed that, 48 h after scratches in SGC-7901 cells, the space between scratches was significantly increased as compared with that in si-NC group [(598.67±18.81) vs. (428.32±13.90) μm, t=12.620, P=0.000]; The results of Transwell assay also indicated that the number of metastatic cells in the si-FEZF1-AS1 group was significantly decreased compared to the si-NC group [(60.50±5.13) vs. (103.50±9.54), t=7.942, P=0.001]; The results of RT-PCR showed that the relative mRNA expression levels of E-cadherin were increased in si-FEZF1-AS1 group [(2.01±0.36), t=5.435, P=0.002], and those of Vimentin and β-catenin were decreased [(0.54±0.05), t=9.734, P=0.000; (0.50±0.10), t=8.019, P=0.000]. The results of Western blotting revealed that the expression levels of E-cadherin in si-FEZF1-AS1 group were significantly increased as compared with the si-NC group [(86 304±447) vs. (35 623±227), t=175.100, P=0.000], and those of Vimentin and β-catenin in the si-FEZF1-AS1 group were significantly decreased as compared with the si-NC group [(29 135±89) vs. (82 253±353), t=252.800, P=0.000; (15 283±147) vs. (42 506±245), t=165.200, P=0.000]. Conclusion Dysregulation of Linc FEZF1-AS1 can suppress proliferation and invasion of SGC-7901 cells, which may be related to the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. Key words: Gastric cancer; Long intergenic non-coding RNA; Proliferation; Invasion