AUTHOR=Zheng Sufei , Lu Zhiliang , Liu Chengming , Wang Xinfeng , Jin Runsen , Mao Shuangshuang , Huang Jianbing , Lei Yuanyuan , Zhang Chaoqi , Sun Nan , He Jie 

TITLE=The TGFβ-Induced Long Non-coding RNA TBULC Promotes the Invasion and Migration of Non-small Cell Lung Cancer Cells and Indicates Poor Prognosis

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Oncology

VOLUME=Volume 9 - 2019

YEAR=2019

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/oncology/articles/10.3389/fonc.2019.01340

DOI=10.3389/fonc.2019.01340

ISSN=2234-943X

ABSTRACT=Objective To study the biological function and clinicopathological correlation of the TGFβ-induced long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) TBULC in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and to analyze its application potential in clinical diagnosis and treatment. Methods RT-qPCR was used to detect the expression level of TBULC in NSCLC cells and tissues, and the correlation between the TBULC expression level and clinicopathological features was analyzed. A cytoplasmic/nuclear fractionation assay was performed to define the cellular localization of TBULC. A rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE) assay was performed to acquire the full-length sequence of TBULC. TBULC stable overexpression and knockdown cell clones were constructed by lentiviral infection, and Transwell assays were used to explore the effect of TBULC on cell invasion and migration. Results The TGFβ stimulation of NSCLC cell lines significantly upregulated the expression level of the nuclear-localized lncRNA TBULC. Furthermore, the RACE assay showed that the exact full-length sequence of TBULC is 1020 nucleotides and that it is located on chromosome 15. Cell function experiments showed that TBULC plays an important role in promoting metastasis in NSCLC. The invasion and migration ability of TBULC knockdown clones was significantly suppressed, while TBULC overexpression enhanced the invasion and migration ability of tumor cells. The expression level of TBULC in 106 pairs of NSCLC and adjacent normal tissues was analyzed, and the results showed that TBULC was highly expressed in tumor tissues and was an independent prognostic factor (p=0.030, OR=0.513 (0.281-0.936)). Conclusion The TGFβ-induced lncRNA TBULC is upregulated in NSCLC and promotes the invasion and migration of tumor cells. TBULC is an independent prognostic factor and has the potential to become a therapeutic and prognostic target.