Long noncoding RNA TUG1 regulates the development of oral squamous cell carcinoma through sponging miR‐524‐5p to mediate DLX1 expression as a competitive endogenous RNA

• Published in: Journal of cellular physiology Vol. 234; no. 11; pp. 20206 - 20216
• Main Authors: Liu, Shuyan, Liu, Li‐Hong, Hu, Wei‐Wei, Wang, Meng
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01.11.2019
• Subjects: Apoptosis - genetics; Assaying; Bioinformatics; Carcinogenesis - genetics; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell - genetics; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell - pathology; Cell Line; Cell Line, Tumor; Cell migration; Cell Movement - genetics; cell proliferation; Cell Proliferation - genetics; ceRNA; DLX1; Gene expression; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic - genetics; Homeobox; Homeodomain Proteins - genetics; Humans; Immunoprecipitation; lncRNA TUG1; MicroRNAs - genetics; Mouth Neoplasms - genetics; Mouth Neoplasms - pathology; Oral cancer; Oral squamous cell carcinoma; Polymerase chain reaction; Reporter gene; Ribonucleic acid; RNA; RNA, Long Noncoding - genetics; Squamous cell carcinoma; Target recognition; Transcription Factors - genetics; Tumorigenesis; DLX1; ceRNA; oral squamous cell carcinoma; lncRNA TUG1; cell proliferation
• ISSN: 0021-9541; 1097-4652
• DOI: 10.1002/jcp.28620

Long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) exerts a potential regulatory role in tumorigenesis. LncRNA TUG1 expression remains high in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) tissues. However, its biological mechanism in OSCC remains unknown. In this study, TUG1 expression in OSCC cells was detected by quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction. Proliferative and migratory potentials of OSCC cells were determined by Cell Counting Kit 8, 5‐Ethynyl‐2′‐ deoxyuridine (EdU), and Transwell assay, respectively. We identified the potential target of TUG1 through bioinformatics and dual‐luciferase reporter gene assay. Furthermore, their interaction and functions in regulating the development of OSCC were clarified by western blot and RNA immunoprecipitation assay. Our results demonstrated a high expression of TUG1 in OSCC cells. Overexpression of TUG1 markedly accelerated proliferative and migratory potentials of OSCC cells. Besides, TUG1 could positively regulate the expression of distal‐less homeobox 1 (DLX1) by competing with miR‐524‐5p. These results indicated that TUG1 participated in the development of OSCC as a competing endogenous RNA to competitively bind to miR‐524‐5p and thus mediate DLX1 expression. Our study verified that upregulated TUG1 increased expression of distal‐less homeobox 1 (DLX1), the target gene of miR‐524‐5p, further leading to abnormal proliferation and migration of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) cells. TUG1 functioned as a competitive endogenous RNA to regulate DLX1 expression by sponging miR‐524‐5p, thus regulating the development of OSCC.