Long non-coding RNA LINC01347 suppresses trophoblast cell migration, invasion and EMT by regulating miR-101–3p/PTEN/AKT axis

Abstract

Recurrent miscarriage (RM) is one of the common complications of pregnancy, which is closely related to gene mutation. The profiling of non-coding RNAs showed that the expression level of long non-coding RNA LINC01347 (LINC01347) in the serum of patients with recurrent abortion was significantly increased, which could serve as a potential marker for early diagnosis. However, the biological functions of LINC01347 in the miscarriage remain to be elucidated. In this study, LINC01347 expression levels in HTR-8/SVneo cells and placenta samples were measured by RT-qPCR. The migration ability of HTR-8/SVneo cells was detected by wound-healing assay. Western blotting (WB) assay was conducted to measure E-cadherin, Vimentin, N-cadherin, PTEN, phospho-AKT(S473), phospho-AKT(T308) and AKT levels. Dual luciferase reporter assay and RNA pull-down analysis were performed to validate the molecular interactions. The results showed an upregulation of LINC01347 in the placenta samples of RM patients and HTR-8/SVneo cells. LINC01347 overexpression impaired the invasion and migration of trophoblast cells, while LINC01347 silencing promoted cell migration and invasion. LINC01347 level was also negatively correlated with the changes of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) markers in trophoblasts. We further demonstrated that miR-101–3p/PTEN/AKT axis played an important role in mediating the biological roles of LINC01347 in the invasion and migration of trophoblasts. In conclusion, our results revealed that LINC01347 suppresses the migratory ability and regulates the EMT processes in trophoblasts by regulating miR-101–3p/PTEN/AKT axis, suggesting that targeting LINC01347 may serve as a strategy to ameliorate RM.