Long non-coding RNA TUG1 regulates ovarian cancer proliferation and metastasis via affecting epithelial-mesenchymal transition.
Ovarian cancer is the fifth leading cause of cancer-related death in women worldwide, and recent studies have highlighted the role of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in cancer development. However, the role of lncRNAs in ovarian cancer is largely unclear. In this study, we focused on the taurine up-regulated gene 1 (TUG1) and examined its molecular mechanism in ovarian cancer. Here, we reported that TUG1 was up-regulated in ovarian cancer tissues and ovarian cancer cells, and TUG1 expression was positively correlated with tumor grade and FIGO stage. In vitro functional assays (CCK-8 assay, colony formation assay, and cell invasion assay) revealed that knock-down of TUG1 by small RNA inference significantly inhibited cell proliferation, colony formation and cell invasion in ovarian cancer cells. Further experiment showed that knock-down of TUG1 induced cell apoptosis and altered the protein expression levels of apoptosis-related mediators in ovarian cancer cells. More importantly, knock-down of TUG1 also reversed epithelial-mesenchymal transition in ovarian cancer. In summary, our results suggest that knock-down of TUG1 may represent a novel therapeutic strategy for the treatment of ovarian cancer.
Department of Obstetrics, The Second Hospital of Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin City, China. Electronic address: kuang_defeng@163.com.
Defeng
D
Kuang
Department of Clinical Laboratory, The Fourth People's Hospital of Xi'an City, Shaanxi Province, China. Electronic address: zhang_xiaopingtzx@126.com.
Xiaoping
X
Zhang
Department of Obstetrics, The Second Hospital of Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin City, China. Electronic address: hsfdoctor@126.com.
Shaofang
S
Hua
Department of Obstetrics, The Second Hospital of Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin City, China. Electronic address: dongwei0799@gmail.com.
Wei
W
Dong
Department of Clinical Laboratory, The Second Hospital of Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin City, China. Electronic address: lizhiguo_dr@outlook.com.
Zhiguo
Z
Li
D017209:Apoptosis / Q000235:genetics; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D058750:Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D055785:Gene Knockdown Techniques; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology*; D062085:RNA, Long Noncoding / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D015854:Up-Regulation / Q000235:genetics
D062085:RNA, Long Noncoding; C000598536:TUG1 long noncoding RNA, human
Cell apoptosis; Cell invasion; Cell proliferation; Epithelial-mesenchymal transition; Ovarian cancer; TUG1