LncRNA MIF-AS1 aggravates the progression of ovarian cancer by sponging miRNA-31-5p.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to uncover the role of lncRNA MIF-AS1 in influencing the biological phenotypes of ovarian cancer (OC) and the underlying mechanism.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

OC tissues and adjacent normal tissues were collected from 50 OC patients. The expression level of lncRNA MIF-AS1 in OC tissues and cells was determined by quantitative Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (qRT-PCR). The prognostic potential of MIF-AS1 in OC patients was assessed by the Kaplan-Meier method. Subsequently, the regulatory effects of MIF-AS1 on proliferative, migratory, and invasive abilities of ES-2 and HO-8910 cells were evaluated by a series of functional experiments. Dual-Luciferase reporter gene assay, qRT-PCR, and Western blot were further conducted to verify the interaction in the regulatory loop MIF-AS1/miRNA-31-5p/PLCB1.

RESULTS

MIF-AS1 was significantly upregulated in OC tissues and cell lines (p<0.05). Higher level of MIF-AS1 predicted significantly worse prognosis of OC patients (p<0.05). The knockdown of MIF-AS1 markedly attenuated the proliferative, migratory, and invasive abilities of ES-2 and HO-8910 cells (p<0.05). Dual-Luciferase reporter gene assay verified that MIF-AS1 competed with PLCB1 to bind miRNA-31-5p. In addition, MIF-AS1 negatively regulated miRNA-31-5p expression cells, and miRNA-31-5p negatively regulated PLCB1 expression in OC.

CONCLUSIONS

MIF-AS1 was significantly upregulated in OC, which accelerated the proliferative, migratory, and invasive abilities of OC cells. Furthermore, the regulatory loop MIF-AS1/miRNA-31-5p/PLCB1 could be utilized as a therapeutic target for OC.