The lncRNA-HOXA-AS2/EZH2/LSD1 oncogene complex promotes cell proliferation in pancreatic cancer.

Emerging evidence have indicated that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play crucial roles in cancer development and progression. Previous studies have suggested that lncRNA-HOXA cluster antisense RNA 2 (HOXA-AS2) is involved in tumorigenesis of several cancers. However, little is known about the alteration and biological functions of HOXA-AS2 in pancreatic cancer (PC). The purpose of this study is to identify the role of HOXA-AS2 in PC. Here, we provided evidence that lncRNA HOXA-AS2 was up-regulated in PC tissues. In addition, Loss-of-function experiments revealed that HOXA-AS2 knockdown effectively suppressed proliferation by blocking the cell cycle transition and caused apoptosis of PC cells in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, we found that HOXA-AS2 directly interacted with enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2) and lysine specific demethylase 1 (LSD1), which promoted PC cell growth ability. Collectively, our findings demonstrated that lncRNA-HOXA-AS2/EZH2/LSD1 complex may function as an oncogene in PC cell proliferation, and also provides a potential therapy target for PC.