LncRNA SNHG1 promotes EMT process in gastric cancer cells through regulation of the miR-15b/DCLK1/Notch1 axis

Zhi-Qi Liu,Wei-Feng He,Shun-Li Zhao,Yan-Yi Ouyang,San-Yuan Tang,Yang-Jie Wu,Ling Wang

doi:10.1186/s12876-020-01272-5

Abstract

BackgroundGastric cancer (GC) is a malignant tumour originating from the gastric mucosa epithelium that seriously threatens human health. DCLK1, miR-15b and lncRNA SNHG1 play potential roles in the occurrence of GC, but the mechanism remains unclear.MethodsGene expression of DCLK1, miR-15b and lncRNA SNHG1 was investigated by qRT-PCR. Protein expression was detected by Western blotting. Migration and invasion of gastric cancer cells was tested by a Transwell assay and wound healing assay. Cell proliferation was measured by an MTT assay. Finally, the correctness of the prediction results was confirmed by a dual-luciferase reporter assay.ResultsThe expression of DCLK1, Notch1, and SNHG1 was increased in GC tissues, while the expression of miR-15b was decreased. Overexpression of lncRNA SNHG1 promoted the expression of DCLK1 and Nothc1 in GC cells. Moreover, miR-15b targeted DCLK1 to regulate Notch1 expression and inhibited the EMT process in GC cells. SNHG1 enhanced the effects of DCLK1/Notch1 on the EMT process through regulating miR-15b expression.ConclusionSNHG1 enhances the EMT process in GC cells through DCLK1-mediated Notch1 pathway, which can be a potential target for treating GC.

Highlights

Gastric cancer (GC) is a malignant tumour originating from the gastric mucosa epithelium that seriously threatens human health
Doublecortin-like kinase 1 (DCLK1) promoted the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) process through mediation of Notch1 signalling in GC cells To investigate the role of DCLK1 in GC, the DCLK1 and Notch1 expression in human gastric cancer cell lines (N87, SGC7901 and MKN-28) and normal gastric mucosal cells (GES-1) was detected using qRT-PCR and Western blotting
The expression of EMT-related proteins in either vector (N87 or SGC7901 cells transfected by empty vector) or the sh-NC group was slightly affected compared with the NC group

Summary

Introduction

Gastric cancer (GC) is a malignant tumour originating from the gastric mucosa epithelium that seriously threatens human health. DCLK1, miR-15b and lncRNA SNHG1 play potential roles in the occurrence of GC, but the mechanism remains unclear. Previous studies have shown that the differential expression of lncRNA SNHG1 is upregulated in gastric cancer [12], indicating that it is associated with the development of gastric cancer. MiR-15b belongs to the microRNA family, and it is a non-coding RNA that directly regulates protein expression. It has been previously confirmed that miR-15b plays a crucial role during the metastasis of colorectal cancer [13], whereas its expression is low in GC [14]. The mechanism of either lncRNA SNHG1 or miR-15b in GC remains to be studied. As the Notch signalling pathway could be suppressed by silencing SNHG1 in laryngeal cancer [15], our study aimed to explore the role of Notch in GC development

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Conclusion