OncoTargets and Therapy (Dec 2018)

Long non-coding RNA DANCR promotes the progression of non-small-cell lung cancer by inhibiting p21 expression

  • Guo L,
  • Gu J,
  • Hou S,
  • Liu D,
  • Zhou M,
  • Hua T,
  • Zhang J,
  • Ge Z,
  • Xu J

Journal volume & issue
Vol. Volume 12
pp. 135 – 146

Abstract

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Lanfang Guo,1,* Jianmei Gu,2,* Sinan Hou,3 Dabiao Liu,1 Mengjie Zhou,1 Tengjiang Hua,1 Jinye Zhang,2 Zhijun Ge,4 Jing Xu5 1Department of Clinical Laboratory Medicine, The Fourth People’s Hospital of Zhenjiang, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu 212013, China; 2Departmemt of Clinical Laboratory Medicine, Nantong Tumor Hospital, Nantong, Jiangsu 226361, China; 3Departmemt of Clinical Laboratory Medicine, Lianyungang Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Lianyungang, Jiangsu 222002, China; 4Department of Critical Care Medicine, The Affiliated Yixing Hospital of Jiangsu University, Yixing, Jiangsu 214200, China; 5Departmemt of Clinical Laboratory Medicine, The Affiliated Hospital of Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu 212013, China *These authors contributed equally to this work Background: Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play important roles in human cancers. However, the functional roles of lncRNAs in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and the underlying mechanisms are not well understood. Methods: We examined the expression of lncRNA DANCR in NSCLC by qRT-PCR and explored its biological roles in NSCLC progression by cell and molecular biology studies. Results: DANCR expression level was increased in human NSCLC. The knockdown of DANCR inhibited NSCLC cell proliferation by inducing cell apoptosis and cell cycle arrest. In addition, DANCR knockdown suppressed NSCLC cell migration and invasion via inhibition of epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT). On the contrary, DANCR overexpression had the opposite effects. DANCR knockdown inhibited EZH-2-mediated epigenetic silencing of p21 promoter and increased p21 expression. Moreover, DANCR knockdown inhibited NSCLC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in a p21-dependent manner. Conclusion: DANCR plays oncogenic roles in NSCLC and may provide a novel biomarker for NSCLC diagnosis and prognosis. Keywords: DANCR, NSCLC, progression, biomarker

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