LncRNA PRRT3-AS1 exerts oncogenic effects on nonsmall cell lung cancer by targeting microRNA-507/homeobox B5 axis.

Abstract

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) act as key regulators controlling complex cellular behaviors in nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC). We investigated the expression of lncRNA PRRT3 antisense RNA 1 (PRRT3-AS1) in paired samples of NSCLC and adjacent normal tissues from a patient cohort in our hospital using real-time quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and found that it was significantly higher in NSCLC tissue than in normal tissue, consistent with The Cancer Genome Atlas database. Furthermore, functional investigation revealed that lncRNA PRRT3-AS1 depletion inhibited NSCLC-cell proliferation, colony formation, invasion, and migration, whereas its overexpression exerted the opposite effects. Moreover, PRRT3-AS1 knockdown suppressed in vivo NSCLC growth. Investigation of downstream mechanisms using RNA immunoprecipitation and luciferase reporter assay revealed that lncRNA PRRT3-AS1 acted as a competing endogenous RNA by adsorbing microRNA-507 (miR-507) and enhanced the expression of its target gene, homeobox B5 (HOXB5), in NSCLC. Furthermore, miR-507 downregulation or HOXB5 upregulation eliminated the cancer-inhibiting effects of lncRNA PRRT3-AS1 depletion in NSCLC cells. To conclude, the lncRNA PRRT3-AS1/miR-507/HOXB5 pathway acts as a promoter of malignant characteristics in NSCLC, and this newly identified competing endogenous RNA pathway may be an effective diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic target in NSCLC.