Affiliations: [a] Department of Laboratory, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai 519000, Guangdong, China | [b] Department of General Surgery, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai 519000, Guangdong, China | [c] Department of Gastroenterology, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai 519000, Guangdong, China
Correspondence:
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Corresponding author: Yanan Wang, Department of Laboratory, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, No. 52 Mei Hua East Road, Zhuhai 519000, Guangdong, China. E-mail: wangyanansysu@yeah.net.
Note: [1] These authors contributed equally to this work.
Abstract: BACKGROUND: LncRNAs are involved in the metastasis and recurrence of human tumors, including colorectal cancer (CRC). We previously reported that lncRNA AB073614 promotes tumor proliferation and metastasis and predicted a poor clinical outcome of CRC patients. Herein, we investigated the underlying mechanism of lncRNA AB073614-related metastasis in CRC. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The expression of lncRNA AB073614 in CRC tissues were evaluated by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). Transwell assay was performed to detect the effects of lncRNA AB073614 on cell migration and invasion. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) molecular markers and Janus kinase/signal transducer and activator of transcription (JAK/STAT3) pathway proteins expression levels were detected by Western blot and Immunofluorescence. RESULTS: We confirmed that lncRNA AB073614 was highly expressed in the colorectal cancer tissues. LncRNA AB073614 knockdown in SW480 and HCT116 cells significantly promoted the protein expression levels of E-cadherin and Occludin, and decreased the expressions of N-cadherin and Vimentin, then further decreased the cell migration and invasion ability. Interestingly, the expression of phosphorylated STAT3 was also down-regulated. Furthermore, SW480 and HCT116 cells were transfected with lncRNA AB073614 vector and treated with a JAK inhibitor, AT9283. The results showed that lncRNA AB073614 regulated EMT through JAK-STAT3 signaling pathway. CONCLUSION: All these results indicate that lncRNA AB073614 can induce the expression of EMT cell markers and regulate the process of EMT of CRC cells through regulating the JAK/STAT3 pathway activation.
