Long non-coding RNA FOXP4-AS1 acts as an adverse prognostic factor and regulates proliferation and apoptosis in nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci. 2020 Aug;24(15):8008-8016. doi: 10.26355/eurrev_202008_22484.

Abstract

Objective: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is one of the most common malignancies worldwide. In The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database, the expression level of lncRNA forkhead box P4 antisense RNA 1 (FOXP4-AS1) is higher in NPC samples than in normal samples.

Patients and methods: Quantitative Real-time PCR and Western blotting were performed to detect the expression level of RNA and protein. Luciferase reporter assay ran to test the interactions between FOXP4-AS1 and miR-423-5p and STMN1. Subcellular fractionation assay was used to determine the subcellular localization of FOXP4-AS1. The tumor-promotion functions of FOXP4-AS1 were determined by both in vitro and in vivo assays.

Results: The expression of FOXP4-AS1 was up-regulated in 80 cases with NPC, and these patients with a poor prognosis. Functionally, high expression of FOXP4-AS1 in NPC was connected with promoted cell proliferation and inhibited apoptosis. Moreover, FOXP4-AS1 is located in the cytoplasm of CNE1 (NPC cell lines). Mechanistically, FOXP4-AS1 up-regulated STMN1 on post-transcriptional regulation by means of miR-423-5p.

Conclusions: Our present study demonstrated that high expression of FOXP4-AS1 in NPC portended poor outcomes. FOXP4-AS1upregulated STMN1 by interacting with miR-423-5p as a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) to promote NPC progression.

MeSH terms

  • Apoptosis
  • Cell Proliferation
  • Cells, Cultured
  • Humans
  • MicroRNAs / genetics
  • MicroRNAs / metabolism
  • Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma / diagnosis
  • Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma / metabolism*
  • Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms / diagnosis
  • Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms / metabolism*
  • RNA, Long Noncoding / genetics
  • RNA, Long Noncoding / metabolism*

Substances

  • FOXP4 antisense RNA 1, human
  • MIRN423 microRNA, human
  • MicroRNAs
  • RNA, Long Noncoding