Long non‑coding RNA‑ZNF281 promotes cancer cell migration and invasion in gastric cancer via downregulation of microRNA‑124

Abstract

It has previously been determined that long non-coding (lnc)RNA-zinc finger protein (ZNF)281 serves an oncogenic role in breast cancer; however, the role of lncRNA-ZNF281 in other cancer types is yet to be elucidated. The present study aimed to analyze the role of ZNF281 in gastric cancer by characterizing its activity in cancerous tissues and normal tissues using RT-qPCR. Overexpression experiments were also performed to investigate the interaction between ZNF281 and miR-124, and Transwell assays were conducted to analyze cell invasion and migration. The present study revealed that lncRNA-ZNF281 was upregulated, and that microRNA (miR)-124 was downregulated, in cancerous tissues compared with that in the paired adjacent healthy tissues of patients with gastric cancer. In addition, the expression levels of lncRNA-ZNF281 and miR-124 exhibited a significant inverse association. Furthermore, in vitro cell experiments determined that lncRNA-ZNF281 overexpression resulted in miR-124 inhibition, yet miR-124 overexpression did not influence lncRNA-ZNF281 expression. lncRNA-ZNF281 expression level was also associated with the clinical stage of the patient. Bioinformatics analysis revealed that lncRNA-ZNF281 may target the base pairs in the hairpin loop of the miR-124 precursor. Subsequent in vitro cell experiments indicated that lncRNA-ZNF281 overexpression resulted in promoting the migration and invasiveness of gastric cancer cells, while miR-124 over-expression led to its inhibition. In addition, miR-124 overexpression partially recovered the effects of lncRNA-ZNF281 overexpression. Therefore, lncRNA-ZNF281 may promote cancer cell migration and invasion in gastric cancer via downregulation of miR-124.

Upregulation of lnc-ZNF281 Inhibits the Progression of Glioma via the AKT/GSK-3β/β-Catenin Signaling Pathway

“…As a novel lncRNA identified recently, lnc-ZNF281 has been reported to be associated with many tumors. For instance, lnc-ZNF281 decreased miRNA-124 level to promote the migration and invasion of gastric cancer cells [ 16 ]. Knockdown of lnc-ZNF281 inhibited colorectal cancer cell proliferation, migration, and invasion via the Wnt/ β -catenin pathway [ 21 ].…”

“…However, upregulated lnc-ZNF281 was found in hepatocellular carcinoma tissues, and the interaction between lnc-ZNF281 and miR-539 played an oncogenic role in hepatocellular carcinoma progression [ 15 ]. lnc-ZNF281 also promoted gastric cancer initiation and progression by targeting miR-124 [ 16 ]. According to previous findings, the specific correlation between lnc-ZNF281 and glioma cells needs further exploration.…”

The role of zinc finger proteins in malignant tumors

“…In addition, miR-124 overexpression partially recovers the effects of lncRNA-ZNF281 overexpression. 69 ZNF146 is confirmed to be a downstream molecule of the circPIP5K1A/miR-376c-3p axis, and circPIP5K1A up-regulates ZNF146 expression to promote gastric cancer progression by sponging miR-376c-3p. 70 In summary, these observations highlight that ZNFs may appear as a useful prognostic marker in gastric cancer.…”

miR‑155 promotes proliferation and epithelial‑mesenchymal transition of MCF‑7 cells

“…A total of 30 pairs of BC and corresponding normal tissue were collected from patients who underwent surgery in Xinganmeng People's Hospital (Inner Mongolia, China) from January 1st 2016 to April 30th, 2017 and all the specimens were confirmed using routine pathological examinations and staged according to the tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) system ( 25 , 26 ). The patient (female) age range was 41-68 (median age=59).…”