AUTHOR=Wang Jianchu , Wang Wei , Tang Qianli , Lu Libai , Luo Zongjiang , Li Wenchuan , Lu Yuan , Pu Jian 

TITLE=Long Non-coding RNA lnc-GNAT1-1 Suppresses Liver Cancer Progression via Modulation of Epithelial–Mesenchymal Transition

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Genetics

VOLUME=Volume 11 - 2020

YEAR=2020

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/genetics/articles/10.3389/fgene.2020.01029

DOI=10.3389/fgene.2020.01029

ISSN=1664-8021

ABSTRACT=Recent studies have investigated the modulatory roles of long non-coding RNAs in the onset and progression of liver cancer. This present study aimed to elucidate the role of lnc-GNAT1-1 in liver cancer development and to explore the underlying mechanisms. Quantitative real-time (qRT-PCR) was performed to measure expression levels of lnc-GNAT1-1 in cancerous tissues from liver cancer patients and liver cancer cell lines. The proliferative ability and apoptotic rates of liver cancer cells were measured using the counting kit-8 (CCK-8), colony formation, and flow cytometry assays. The abilities to invade and migrate were measured using Transwell assays. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-related proteins, E-cadherin, N-cadherin, and vimentin, were measured using western blotting. A nude mice model was injected with xenografts to evaluate tumour growth in vivo. Down-regulation of lnc-GNAT1-1 was observed in cancerous tissues from liver cancer patients and liver cancer cell lines, and low expression levels of lnc-GNAT1-1 were related to advanced TNM stage. Lnc-GNAT1-1 knockdown promoted invasion, migration, and proliferation of liver cancer cells, and inhibited apoptosis, while lnc-GNAT1-1 up-regulation exerted the opposite effects. Expression levels of lnc-GNAT1-1 negatively correlated with in vivo tumour growth of the xenograft model of nude mice. Mechanistic experiments revealed that lnc-GNAT1-1 exerted anti-tumour effects in liver cancer cells by inhibiting EMT. In conclusion, this study suggests that lnc-GNAT1-1 suppresses liver cancer progression by modulating EMT.