Long noncoding RNA HOXA-AS2 acts as an oncogene by targeting miR-145-3p in human non-small cell lung cancer.

OBJECTIVE

Recent studies have proved that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play important roles in many diseases, especially malignancies. The aim of this study was to investigate the exact role of lncRNA HOXA-AS2 (Hoxa cluster antisense RNA 2) in the development of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Quantitative Real Time-Polymerase Chain Reaction (qRT-PCR) was utilized to detect HOXA-AS2 expression in NSCLC patients. The Wound healing assay and transwell assay were conducted to explore the function of HOXA-AS2 on NSCLC metastasis. Furthermore, the mechanism assays were used to explore the interaction between HOXA-AS2 and microRNA-145-3p (miR-145-3p).

RESULTS

HOXA-AS2 expression level in NSCLC tissues was significantly higher than adjacent tissues. HOXA-AS2 expression was negatively correlated with disease-free survival of NSCLC patients. Moreover, the functional assays showed that the migration and invasion of NSCLC cells were significantly inhibited after HOXA-AS2 in vitro silence. Furthermore, the luciferase reporter gene assay also revealed that miR-145-3p was a direct target of HOXA-AS2 in NSCLC.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results indicated that HOXA-AS2 could enhance the migration and invasion abilities of NSCLC by targeting miR-145-3p. Furthermore, these findings suggested that HOXA-AS2 might be a potential therapeutic target for NSCLC.