LncRNA LINC01303 Promotes the Progression of Oral Squamous Cell Carcinomas via the miR-429/ZEB1/EMT Axis

Bo Sun,Xianyu Zheng,Guowu Ma,Pengcheng Zhao,Weilong Ye,Qin Yuan

doi:10.1155/2021/7974012

Abstract

Objectives The aim of this research was to uncover the biological role and mechanisms of LINC01303 in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Materials and Methods Real-time quantitative PCR (qRT-PCR) was used to determine LINC01303 expression in OSCC tissues. Subcellular distribution of LINC01303 was examined by nuclear/cytoplasmic RNA fractionation and FISH experiments. The role of LINC01303 in the growth of TSCCA and SCC-25 was examined by CCK-8 assay, colony formation, transwell invasion assay in vitro, and xenograft tumor experiment in vivo. Dual-luciferase reporter assay was used to verify the interaction between LINC01303 and miR-429. RNA pull‐down assay was used to discover miR-429‐interacted protein, which was further examined by qRT-PCR, western blot, and rescue experiments. Results LINC01303 expression was higher in OSCC tissues compared with adjacent nontumor tissues. LINC01303 was found to be localized in the cytoplasm of OSCC cells. Knockdown of LINC01303 inhibited OSCC cell proliferation and invasion, whereas increasing the expression of LINC01303 showed the opposite effects. Furthermore, LINC01303 served as a miR-429 “sponge” and positively regulated ZEB1 expression. Moreover, LINC01303 promoted OSCC through miR-429/ZEB1 axis both in vivo and in vitro. Conclusions LINC01303 plays an oncogenic role in OSCC and is a promising biomarker for OSCC patients.

Highlights

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) arises on the lip or oral cavity and always migrates to other parts of the body [1]
The identification of oncogenes and suppressors in OSCC has been performed in the past few decades, independent biomarkers that can be routinely applied to clinical treatment are lacking [8, 9]. us, discovering new indicators for OSCC patients is important
Researchers discovered that Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) could influence the expression of genes at multiple levels, such as transcriptional level [13, 14] and posttranscriptional level [15, 16]. ere is growing evidence that lncRNAs act as suppressors or activators of mRNAs through competing with endogenous RNAs mechanisms [17]

Summary

Introduction

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) arises on the lip or oral cavity and always migrates to other parts of the body [1]. OSCC is characterized by local infiltration and metastasis of lymph nodes with poor prognosis and without a specific biomarker [4]; the five-year survival rate of OSCC is still very low despite the great improvement in clinical treatment [1, 5]. The identification of oncogenes and suppressors in OSCC has been performed in the past few decades, independent biomarkers that can be routinely applied to clinical treatment are lacking [8, 9]. Us, discovering new indicators for OSCC patients is important. It is implied that lncRNAs play a vital role in the occurrence of human tumors by affecting cell activities [18, 19].

Methods

Results

Conclusion