Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is a major source of cancer mortality. Long non-coding RNA DSCAM-AS1 has been certified to be involved in the pathogenesis of NSCLC. This study aimed to further investigate the potential mechanism of DSCAM-AS1 in NSCLC progression. The expressions of DSCAM-AS1, miR-577, and high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) were detected by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) or western blot assay. Cell viability was assessed by Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay. Flow cytometry assay was conducted to monitor cell apoptosis. Cell migration and invasion were measured by transwell assay. Wnt/β-catenin pathway-related factors were detected by western blot assay. The relationship between DSCAM-AS1, miR-577, and HMGB1 was validated by bioinformatics analysis and dual-luciferase reporter assay. The xenograft mouse model was established to analyze tumor growth in vivo. DSCAM-AS1 and HMGB1 were upregulated, while miR-577 was downregulated in NSCLC tissues and cells. DSCAM-AS1 promoted cell proliferation, migration and invasion, and restrained cell apoptosis in NSCLC cells. Overexpression of HMGB1 reversed the effects of DSCAM-AS1 depletion on the progression of NSCLC. DSCAM-AS1 modulated HMGB1 expression by sponging miR-577. DSCAM-AS1 regulated the Wnt/β-catenin pathway by regulating miR-577 and HMGB1. DSCAM-AS1 knockdown blocked the tumor growth in vivo. In conclusion, DSCAM-AS1 facilitated NSCLC progression by regulating the HMGB1-mediated Wnt/β-catenin pathway, providing a promising therapeutic target for NSCLC.

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is an intractable esophageal cancer caused by smoking, alcohol consumption and nutritional deficiencies. Recently, long non-coding RNA SET-binding factor 2 antisense RNA 1 (SBF2-AS1) was validated as an oncogene in multiple cancers. However, the mechanism of SBF2-AS1 in ESCC progression is poorly understood. In the present research, we found that the expression of SBF2-AS1 and PFN2 was up-regulated, while miR-494 was down-regulated in ESCC tumors and cells using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). 3-(4, 5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2, 5-diphenyl-2-H-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay and transwell assay demonstrated that silencing of SBF2-AS1 suppressed proliferation, migration and invasion. Moreover, western blot showed that SBF2-AS1 deletion also inhibited epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) by detecting MMP9, Vimentin and E-cadherin protein expression. We confirmed that miR-494 was a target of SBF2-AS1 by luciferase reporter system, RIP and RNA pull-down assay. In addition, miR-494 inhibitor reversed the repression induced by SBF2-AS1 silencing on ESCC cell proliferation, migration, invasion and EMT. Furthermore, PFN2 was negatively regulated by miR-494. Besides, restoration of PFN2 inversed the inhibition effects on cell proliferation, migration, invasion and EMT induced by SBF2-AS1 silencing in ESCC. In conclusion, SBF2-AS1 contributed to cell proliferation, migration, invasion and EMT in ESCC by enhancing PFN2 expression via sponging miR-494, providing promising biomarkers for ESCC diagnosis and treatment.