Long non‑coding RNA H19 knockdown inhibits the cell viability and promotes apoptosis of thyroid cancer cells through regulating the PI3K/AKT pathway

Abstract

Certain long non-coding (lnc)RNAs have been reported to serve important roles in the genesis and progression of thyroid cancer (TC). Recent studies have demonstrated that the expression of lncRNA H19 is upregulated in TC tissues; however, knowledge of the associated molecular mechanisms is limited. Therefore, the present study aimed to clarify the roles of H19 in TC. The mRNA expression of lncRNA H19 in TC tissues was determined using reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis, and the effects of H19 knockdown on cell viability and apoptosis in vitro were assessed using MTT and flow cytometric assays, respectively. Finally, the signaling pathways involved in the effects of H19 were examined. The results indicated that H19 was upregulated in TC tissues. Silencing of H19 inhibited the cell viability and promoted apoptosis of FTC-133 and TPC-1 TC cells, accompanied by an increased expression of B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2)-associated X protein and caspase 3, and repressed expression of Bcl-2. The results of western blot analysis suggested that the levels of phosphorylated phosphoinositide-3 kinase (PI3K) and phosphorylated AKT were attenuated by H19 silencing. These results suggest that lncRNA H19 exerts an oncogenic function in TC, in part through the PI3K/AKT pathway.

Roles of the H19/microRNA‑675 axis in the proliferation and epithelial‑mesenchymal transition of human cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma cells

“…Accumulating evidence has revealed that H19, as a cancer-related lncRNA, served an important role in physiological activities and pathological mechanisms ( 16 , 28 , 29 ). For example, H19 was reported to act as an oncogene in bladder, gastric, breast and thyroid cancer, in addition to glioma ( 15 , 30 – 33 ). In colorectal cancer, H19 promoted the cell proliferation, migration and invasion of cancer cells through sponging miR-138 and subsequently upregulating the expression levels of HMGA1 ( 18 ).…”

“…H19, located on chromosome 11p15.5, is a long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) which was initially termed as an oncofetal transcript ( 12 ). The aberrant expression of H19 was revealed to participate in the pathogenesis of several types of human cancer, including bladder, breast, thyroid and hepatocellular carcinoma ( 13 – 15 ). In addition, a previous study suggested that H19 may be regarded as a biomarker for numerous types of cancer and a potential therapeutic target ( 16 ).…”

Identification of hub genes in papillary thyroid carcinoma: robust rank aggregation and weighted gene co-expression network analysis

“…Meanwhile, KEGG terms such as transcriptional misregulation in cancer, Rap1 signaling pathway and PI3K-Akt signaling pathway were obtianed. PI3K-Akt signaling pathway had been reported to play an important role in the development of thyroid cancer [46,47], breast cancer [48], colorectal cancer [49], non-small cell lung cancer [50] and gastric cancer [51] etc.…”

H19 Rises in Gastric Cancer and Exerts a Tumor-Promoting Function via miR-138/E2F2 Axis

“…[12][13][14] As one of the earliest lncRNAs found, H19 (also an oncogene) is located on chromosome 11 and highly expressed in various tumors. 8,9 In our study, we explored the role and mechanism of action of H19 in GC. H19 rose in tissues, serum and cells of GC patients, and this increased RNA was related to a tumor size ≥5 cm, high stages (III+IV), lymph node metastasis and a poor survival rate.…”

“… 6 , 7 Having found to be highly expressed in various tumors, lncRNA H19 ( H19 ) is a member of lncRNAs and is considered as a tumor promoter. For instance, it plays a carcinogenic role in thyroid cancer through PI3K/AKT pathway, 8 and promotes lung cancer cells to proliferate and invade by regulating markers for epithelial-mesenchymal transition. 9 Additionally, it upregulates in GC and predicts the poor prognosis of patients, so downregulating its expression can inhibit gastric cancer cells (GCCs) to invade and migrate.…”