ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Recent studies revealed that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play critical regulatory roles in cancer biology. PlncRNA-1 is one of lncRNAs that is associated with cell apoptosis and proliferation of prostate cancer. AIM: This study aimed to assess the potential role of PlncRNA-1 in the pathogenesis of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was used to detect the expression level of PlncRNA-1 in 73 pairs of ESCC and their matched normal tissues. The correlation of PlncRNA-1 with clinicopathological features and clinical stages was also analyzed. Cancer cell proliferation and apoptosis were assessed following knock-down of PlncRNA-1 by MTT, colony formation assay, and flow cytometry. RESULTS: The expression of PlncRNA-1 was significantly higher in human ESCC compared with the adjacent noncancerous tissues (69.8 %, p < 0.05), and the high level of PlncRNA-1 expression was significantly correlated with advanced clinical stage (p < 0.01) and lymph node metastasis (p < 0.05). Furthermore, knockdown of PlncRNA-1 reduced cell proliferation and increased the apoptosis in vitro. CONCLUSIONS: PlncRNA-1 plays an important role in ESCC cell proliferation. Overexpression of PlncRNA-1 is correlated with advanced tumor stage and lymph node metastasis, and may serve as a potential prognostic marker and therapeutic target for ESCC.
Subject(s)
Biomarkers, Tumor/metabolism , Carcinoma, Squamous Cell/genetics , Esophageal Neoplasms/genetics , Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic , RNA, Long Noncoding/metabolism , Up-Regulation , Adult , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Apoptosis , Carcinoma, Squamous Cell/metabolism , Carcinoma, Squamous Cell/pathology , Cell Line, Tumor , Cell Proliferation , Esophageal Neoplasms/metabolism , Esophageal Neoplasms/pathology , Female , Flow Cytometry , Gene Knockdown Techniques , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Neoplasm Staging , Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction , Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain ReactionABSTRACT
Recent studies of the individual functionalities of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in the development and progression of cancer have suggested that HOX transcript antisense RNA (HOTAIR) is capable of reprogramming chromatin organization and promoting cancer cell metastasis. In order to ascertain the expression pattern of the lncRNA HOTAIR and assess its biological role in the development and progression of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), HOTAIR expression in ESCC tissues and adjacent noncancerous tissues were collected from 78 patients and measured by real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). HOTAIR correlation with clinicopathological features and prognosis was also analyzed. Suppression of HOTAIR using siRNA treatment was performed in order to explore its role in tumor progression. Notably elevated HOTAIR expression levels were observed in cancerous tissues compared to adjacent noncancerous tissues (96%, P < 0.01), showing a high correlation with cancer metastasis (P < 0.01), elevated TNM (2009) stage classification (P < 0.01), and lowered overall survival rates (P = 0.003). Multivariate analysis revealed that HOTAIR expression (P = 0.003) is also an independent prognostic factor for comparison of TNM stage (P = 0.024) and lymph node metastasis (P = 0.010). Furthermore, in vitro assays of the ESCC cell line KYSE30 demonstrated that knockdown of HOTAIR reduced cell invasiveness and migration while increasing the response of cells to apoptosis. Thus, HOTAIR is a novel molecule involved in both ESCC progression and prognosis. Full elucidation of HOTAIR functionality relevant to ESCC may open avenues for the use of lncRNAs in identification of novel drug targets and therapies for ESCC and other prevalent cancers.
Subject(s)
Carcinoma, Squamous Cell/diagnosis , Carcinoma, Squamous Cell/genetics , Esophageal Neoplasms/diagnosis , Esophageal Neoplasms/genetics , RNA, Long Noncoding/genetics , Up-Regulation , Apoptosis , Carcinoma, Squamous Cell/pathology , Cell Line, Tumor , Cell Movement , Esophageal Neoplasms/pathology , Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma , Esophagus/metabolism , Esophagus/pathology , Female , Follow-Up Studies , Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic , Humans , Lymphatic Metastasis/genetics , Male , Middle Aged , PrognosisABSTRACT
It is a practical strategy to screen for mutants in the research of plant functional genomics. Comparing with classical T-DNA knock-out mutagenesis technology by the loss-of-function mutation, the activation T-DNA tagging technique based on the gain-of-function mutation has its own particular advantages, mainly characterized by producing dominant mutants of genes with functional redundancy and easily cloning of the genes. First, the basic principle of activation tagging, and the progress of its application in the research on plant functional genomics was reviewed, especially in Arabidopsis and rice. The recent research progress in the mechanism of plant biotic and abiotic stress tolerance and of plant development unraveled by the method of activation tagging was then addressed. Finally, the limitation and prospects of this technique were discussed.
