ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the expression of long non-coding RNA-HOTAIR in prostate cancer cells and its effects on the growth and metastasis of the cells.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Using quantitative reverse-transcription PCR (qRT-PCR), we determined the relative expression of HOTAIR in the normal human prostate epithelial cell line RWPE-I and prostate cancer cell lines PC-3 and DU145. We detected the effects of HOTAIR on the cell cycle and invasiveness of prostate cancer cells by RNA interference, flow cytometry, and Transwell mitration assay.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The expressions of HOTAIR in the PC3 and DU145 cells were increased 3.2 and 5.7 times, respectively, as compared with that in the normal RWPE-1 cells. After si-HOTAIR interference, the prostate cancer cells were arrested in the G2 phase and downregulated in the G1 phase. The invasive ability of the prostate cancer cells was evidently inhibited, with the inhibition rates of 32% and 44% of the PC3 cells and 43% and 34% of the DU145 cells for si-HOTAIR1 and si-HOTAIR2, respectively.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>IncRNA HOTAIR is highly expressed in prostate cancer, which is associated with the growth and invasiveness of prostate cancer cells. HOTAIR is potentially a novel marker for the diagnosis and prognosis of prostate cancer.</p>