The role of long noncoding RNA-LET in cell proliferation and invasion of nasopharyngeal carcinoma and its mechanism

Abstract

Lei Chen,1,* Lingling Sun,1,* Lei Dong,2 Peng Cui,3 Ziwei Xia,4 Chao Li,1 Yu Zhu5 1Department of Otolaryngology, The Second Hospital of Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Pediatrics, Division of Hematology/Oncology, Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA; 3Department of Multidisciplinary Consultation Center of TCM and Western Medicine, The Affiliated Qingdao Hiser Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, 4Department of Clinical Medicine, The Second Clinical Medical School of Tianjin Medical University, 5Department of Clinical Laboratory, Tianjin Huanhu Hospital, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Cerebral Vessels and Neural Degeneration, Tianjin, People’s Republic of China *These authors contributed equally to this work Abstract: LncRNA-LET, a recently identified long noncoding RNA, has been shown to act as a tumor suppressor; however, its biological function and mechanism have not been fully investigated. Our research found that there was less expression of LET in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) tissues than normal tissues and that LET might inhibit proliferation, adhesion and invasion of NPC in vitro by enhancing its expression. By contrast, decreased LET expression could promote the proliferation, adhesion and invasion of NPC. In addition, the expression profiles of related genes and MAPK/ERK pathway were also regulated effectively via overexpression or silencing of LET. This result provides comprehensive evidence of LET’s antitumor effect on NPC in vitro, which might provide a new approach for clinical treatment. Keywords: LncRNA-LET, proliferation, invasion, nasopharyngeal carcinoma, MAPK/ERK pathway

Keywords

• LncRNA-LET
• proliferation
• invasion
• nasopharyngeal carcinoma