Cancer Management and Research (Mar 2020)
LncRNA NCK1-AS1 Promotes Cancer Cell Proliferation and Increase Cell Stemness in Urinary Bladder Cancer Patients by Downregulating miR-143
Abstract
Zhongjie Qiao,1,* Hongshuang Dai,1,* Yunzhu Zhang,2 Qiang Li,1 Meng Zhao,3 Tongyun Yue4 1Urology Department, The Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, Heilongjiang 150081, People’s Republic of China; 2The 1st Nephrology Department, Heilongjiang Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Harbin, Heilongjiang 150036, People’s Republic of China; 3Urology Department, The 1st Affiliated Hospital of Heilongjiang University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Harbin, Heilongjiang 150040, People’s Republic of China; 4Interventional Department, The Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, Heilongjiang 150081, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Tongyun YueIntervention Department, The Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Harbin Medical University, No. 150 Haping Road, Nangang District, Harbin, Heilongjiang 150081, People’s Republic of ChinaEmail [email protected]: Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play critical and complex roles in regulating various biological processes of cancers. Our study aimed to investigate the involvement of lncRNA NCK1-AS1 in urinary bladder cancer (UBC).Methods: qRT-PCR was used to detect the expression of lncRNA NCK1-AS1 and miR-143 in UBC tissues and cells. The dual-luciferase reporter system assays were used to confirm the interaction between NCK1-AS1 and miR-143, and flow cytometry assays were applied to examine the behavioral changes in HT-1376 and HT-1197 cell lines.Results: It was observed that NCK1-AS1 was up-regulated, while miR-143 was down-regulated in tumor tissues than in adjacent healthy tissues of urinary bladder cancer (UBC) patients. A 5-year survival analysis showed that the survival rate of patients with high NCK1-AS1 level or low miR-143 level in tumor tissues appears relatively low. Correlation analysis revealed a significant inverse correlation between NCK1-AS1 and miR-143 in tumor tissues. Over-expression NCK1-AS1 reduced the expression level of miR-143, while elevating the level of miR-143 failed to affect NCK1-AS1 expression. NCK1-AS1 over-expression led to promoted proliferation and increased percentage of CD133+ (stemness) cells.Conclusion: Therefore, NCK1-AS1 promotes cancer cell proliferation and increases cell stemness in UBC patients by down-regulating miR-143.Keywords: NCK1-AS1, miR-143, urinary bladder cancer, survival, proliferation, stemness
