HOXA11-AS promotes the progression of oral squamous cell carcinoma by targeting the miR-518a-3p/PDK1 axis

• Published in: Cancer cell international Vol. 19; no. 1; p. 140
• Main Authors: Li, Baojun, Wang, Wei, Miao, Susheng, Li, Guofu, Lv, Yuanjing, Xiang, Cheng, Pei, Rong
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BioMed Central 21.05.2019; BMC
• Subjects: Bioinformatics; Breast cancer; Cell cycle; Cell growth; Cell proliferation; G1 phase; HOXA11-AS; Kinases; Lung cancer; Medical prognosis; Metastasis; miR-518a-3p; miRNA; Oral cancer; Oral squamous cell carcinoma; Ovarian cancer; PDK1; Primary Research; Regulation; Squamous cell carcinoma; Therapeutic applications; Tissues; United States > US; HOXA11-AS; Oral squamous cell carcinoma; miR-518a-3p; PDK1
• ISSN: 1475-2867; 1475-2867
• DOI: 10.1186/s12935-019-0838-6

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are promising therapeutic molecules of cancer. Here we aim to study the therapeutic effect and mechanism of a lncRNA, HOXA11-AS, in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). OSCC tissues and adjacent matched paraneoplastic normal tissues used in this study were collected from 42 OSCC patients. The significant downregulation or upregulation of HOXA11-AS expression in OSCC cells was confirmed by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). Bioinformatics analysis of StarBase were performed to investigate the potential microRNAs mediated by HOXA11-AS. HOXA11-AS-transfected cells or control cells were subcutaneously injected into nude mice to further determine the effects of HOXA11-AS on OSCC progression in vivo. qRT-PCR analysis indicated that HOXA11-AS expression was significantly upregulated in OSCC tissues. Functional studies revealed that HOXA11-AS significantly promotes cell proliferation, reduces the percentage of G0/G1 phase cells and enhances the cell invasion in OSCC. Bioinformatics analysis suggested that a microRNA (miRNA), miR-518a-3p, is as a target of HOXA11-AS. Alteration of miR-518a-3p levels by HOXA11-AS transduced to changes in PDK1 expression. In a mouse model of OSCC, HOXA11-AS overexpression promoted tumor growth, concomitant with reduced miR-518a-3p expression and increased PDK1 expression. Taken together, our study demonstrates that HOXA11-AS/miR-518a-3p/PDK1 axis is an important regulator of OSCC progression and may serve as a potential therapeutic target in OSCC. HARMU20150128, registered at Jan, 28 2018.