LncRNA Acts as an Oncogene in Uveal Melanoma by Regulating an RNA-Based Network.

Uveal melanoma (UM) is the most common primary intraocular malignant tumor in adults; little is known about the contribution of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) to UM pathogenesis. Competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) networks based on RNA-RNA interactions regulate physiological and pathological processes. Through a combined approach of in silico and experimental biology, we investigated the expression of a set of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in patient biopsies, identifying as a potential oncogene in UM. The detection of dysregulation associated with several in vitro functional assays allowed us to investigate its ceRNA regulatory network and shed light on its potential involvement in cancer-related processes, such as epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) and CoCl-induced hypoxia-like response. In vitro transient silencing of impaired cell proliferation and migration, and affected mRNA expression of , , , , and . A "miRNA sponge" and "miRNA protector" model have been hypothesized for -induced regulation of mRNAs. In vitro inhibition of suggested its role as a potential activator of expression. Comprehensively, may be considered a new oncogene in UM and a potential target for RNA-based therapeutic approaches.