Long noncoding RNA SPRY4-IT1 promotes esophageal squamous cell carcinoma cell proliferation, invasion, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition.

The biology of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) remains poorly understood. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are found to be dysregulated in a variety of cancers, including ESCC. SPRY4-IT1 has been recently revealed as oncogenic regulator or tumor suppressors in different cancers; however, whether SPRY4-IT1 is involved in ESCC remains poorly understood. To investigate the role of SPRY4-IT1 in ESCC, we evaluated the SPRY4-IT1 expression levels in a series of ESCC patients and a panel of ESCC cell line using qRT-PCR. CCK8 and colony formation assay were performed to assess the effect of SPRY4-IT1siRNA on cell proliferation, migration, and invasion of ESCC cell lines. SPRY4-IT1 expression was upregulated in ESCC tissues and the higher expression of SPRY4-IT1 was significantly correlated with tumor grade, depth of invasion, and lymph node metastasis. Moreover, silencing of SPRY4-IT1 expression inhibited ESCC cell proliferation, colony formation, migration, and invasion. Therefore, our study indicates that SPRY4-IT1 promotes proliferation and migration of ESCC cells and is a potential oncogene of ESCC.