Abstract
BackgroundThere is increasing evidence in support of the role of lncRNAs in tumor cell proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis.MethodsWe examined the expression of the lncRNA ABHD11-AS1 in epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) tissues and normal ovarian tissues by real-time quantitative PCR (qRT-PCR). After inducing ABHD11-AS1 downregulation by small interfering RNA (siRNA) or ABHD11-AS1 overexpression by plasmid transfection, we examined the EOC cell phenotypes and expression of related molecules.ResultsExpression of the lncRNA ABHD11-AS1 in EOC tissues was higher than that in normal ovarian tissue. It was positively associated with the tumor stage (stage I/II vs. stage III/IV), and it was lower in the well-differentiated group than in the poorly/moderately differentiated group. Overexpression of ABHD11-AS1 in the ovarian cancer cell lines A2780 and OVCAR3 promoted ovarian cancer cell proliferation, invasion and migration, and inhibited apoptosis. Silencing of ABHD11-AS1 had the opposite effect. Subcutaneous injection of tumor cells in nude mice showed that ABHD11-AS1 could significantly promote tumor growth. In addition, intraperitoneal injection of tumor cells in the nude mice resulted in an increase in the metastatic ability of the tumor. Further, overexpression of ABHD11-AS1 upregulated the expression of RhoC and its downstream molecules P70s6k, MMP2 and BCL-xL. Silencing of ABHD11-AS1 had the opposite effect. The RNA pull-down assay showed that ABHD11-AS1 can combine directly with RhoC. Silencing of RhoC was found to inhibit the cancer-promoting effects of lncRNA ABHD11-AS1. Thus, it seems that RhoC is a major target of the lncRNA ABHD11-AS1.ConclusionsThis is the first study to demonstrate the role of RhoC in the tumor-promoting effects of the lncRNA ABHD11-AS1. The present findings shed light on new therapeutic targets for ovarian cancer treatment.
Highlights
There is increasing evidence in support of the role of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) in tumor cell proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis
ABHD11-AS1 expression was quantified in ovarian cancer tissues and normal ovarian tissues using quantitative reverse transcription PCR
In the ovarian cancer tissues, it was positively associated with the tumor stage according to the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) staging system, and it was lower in the well-differentiated group than in the poorly/moderately differentiated group
Summary
There is increasing evidence in support of the role of lncRNAs in tumor cell proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis. Wu et al Molecular Cancer (2017) 16:138 related to the development of many malignant tumors; lncRNAs are believed to play an important role in cell proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis. Lin [8] showed that ABHD11-AS1 expression was significantly higher in gastric cancer tissues than in normal gastric tissues, which implied that this lncRNA might function as a cancer biomarker. Yang [9] showed that ABHD11-AS1 expression was significantly higher in the gastric juice of patients with gastric cancer than in normal patients, but the mechanism of action of this cancer-related lncRNA is unclear. There are no reports about the role or mechanism of the lncRNA ABHD11-AS1 in ovarian cancer
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