Basic Study
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2019. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Jun 14, 2019; 25(22): 2763-2775
Published online Jun 14, 2019. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v25.i22.2763
Long noncoding RNA HOXA11-AS promotes gastric cancer cell proliferation and invasion via SRSF1 and functions as a biomarker in gastric cancer
Yun Liu, Yu-Mei Zhang, Feng-Bo Ma, Su-Rong Pan, Bao-Zhen Liu
Yun Liu, Department of Operating Room, Binzhou People's Hospital, Binzhou 256610, Shandong Province, China
Yu-Mei Zhang, Department of Return Visit, Binzhou People's Hospital, Binzhou 256610, Shandong Province, China
Feng-Bo Ma, Su-Rong Pan, Bao-Zhen Liu, Department of Gastroenterology, Binzhou People's Hospital, Binzhou 256610, Shandong Province, China
Author contributions: Liu BZ designed the research; Liu Y, Zhang YM, Ma FB, and Pan SR performed the research; Liu Y analyzed the data; Liu Y and Liu BZ wrote the paper.
Institutional review board statement: This study was reviewed and approved by the Institutional Review Board Committee of Binzhou People's Hospital.
Conflict-of-interest statement: We declare no conflict of interest.
Data sharing statement: No additional data are available.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Bao-Zhen Liu, PhD, Doctor, Department of Gastroenterology, Binzhou People's Hospital, Binzhou 256610, Shandong Province, China. zhebaonnt3411@163.com
Telephone: +86-543-3282396
Received: March 28, 2019
Peer-review started: March 28, 2019
First decision: April 11, 2019
Revised: April 15, 2019
Accepted: May 3, 2019
Article in press: May 3, 2019
Published online: June 14, 2019
Abstract
BACKGROUND

Gastric cancer (GC) is the fourth most frequent malignancy all over the world. The diagnosis of GC is challenging and the prognosis of GC is very unfavorable. Accumulating evidence reveals that serum long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) can function as biomarkers in various types of cancers, including GC.

AIM

To explore the level and molecular mechanism of the lncRNA HOXA11-AS in GC and the diagnostic and prognostic significance of serum HOXA11-AS in GC.

METHODS

HOXA11-AS levels in GC tissue, cell lines, and serum samples were measured. The correlation between HOXA11-AS expression and clinicopathological characteristics was analyzed. The role of HOXA11-AS in the diagnosis and prognosis of GC was evaluated. Cell function assays were performed for exploration of the roles of HOXA11-AS in GC cells. Moreover, Western blot was performed to explore the target regulated by HOXA11-AS in GC cells.

RESULTS

Up-regulation of HOXA11-AS was found in GC tissues, cell lines, and serum samples. In GC patients, decreased serum HOXA11-AS levels were negatively related with tumor size, TNM stage, and lymph node metastasis. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of serum HOXA11-AS in the diagnosis of GC was 0.924 (95%CI: 0.881-0.967; sensitivity, 0.787; specificity 0.978). Results of the Kaplan-Meier survival curves suggested the GC patients with a lower HOXA11-AS level having a better overall survival rate. HOXA11-AS promoted GC cell proliferation and invasion. SRSF1 may be the target regulated by HOXA11-AS in GC cells.

CONCLUSION

HOXA11-AS promotes GC cell proliferation and invasion via SRSF1 and may function as a promising marker in GC.

Keywords: Long noncoding RNA, HOXA11-AS, SRSF1, Gastric cancer, Biomarker

Core tip: The long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) HOXA11-AS is up-regulated in gastric cancer (GC) tissues, cell lines, and serum samples. In GC patients, increased serum HOXA11-AS levels were positively related with tumor size, TNM stage, and lymph node metastasis. HOXA11-AS functions as a diagnostic and prognostic biomarker in GC, and promotes GC cell proliferation and invasion. SRSF1 may be the target regulated by HOXA11-AS in gastric cells.