Long non-coding RNA DSCAM-AS1 indicates a poor prognosis and modulates cell proliferation, migration and invasion in ovarian cancer via upregulating SOX4.

Abstract

Recent studies have revealed that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play a crucial role in tumor progression. Ovarian cancer is a common type of fatal gynecological cancer worldwide. This study aims to investigate how lncRNADSCAM-AS1 functions in the progression of ovarian cancer. DSCAM-AS1 expression of both ovarian cancer cells and 56 paired of tissue samples was detected by quantitative Real Time-Polymerase Chain Reaction (qRT-PCR). Moreover, the function of DSCAM-AS1 was identified via transwell assay, wound healing assay, colony formation assay and proliferation assay in vitro. The underlying mechanism was explored through qRT-PCR and Western blot assay. DSCAM-AS1 expression was remarkably upregulated in tumor tissues compared with that in the adjacent normal tissues. Besides, ovarian cancer proliferation, migration and invasion were promoted after overexpression of DSCAM-AS1 in vitro. Moreover, after overexpression of DSCAM-AS1, SOX4 was upregulated at mRNA and protein level in vitro. Furthermore, the expression of SOX4 in tumor tissues was positively correlated with the expression of DSCAM-AS1. The above results suggested that DSCAM-AS1 can promote cell migration, invasion and proliferation in ovarian cancer by upregulating SOX4, which may offer a new therapeutic intervention for patients with ovarian cancer.