Long non-coding RNA DDX11-AS1 promotes esophageal carcinoma cell proliferation and migration through regulating the miR-514b-3p/RBX1 axis

ABSTRACT

Esophageal carcinoma (ESCA) is one of the most aggressive malignancies with extremely high morbidity and mortality. At present, limited advancement in ESCA treatment has achieved. Therefore, it is urgent to explore the pathogenesis and progression mechanism of ESCA to provide the basis for the formulation of novel therapeutic strategies. Previous studies have found that long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) DDX11-AS1 expression enhances the paclitaxel resistance of ESCA cells. However, the mechanisms underlying the drug resistance conferred by lncRNA DDX11-AS1 in ESCA remains to be elucidated. Our research aims to clarify the role and mechanism of lncRNA DDX11-AS1 in regulating the progression of ESCA. We found that the expression of lncRNA DDX11-AS1 in ESCA tissues and cell lines was significantly upregulated. Subsequently, silencing lncRNA DDX11-AS1 significantly inhibited the proliferation, migration and invasion of ESCA cells, and induced the level of cell apoptosis. In terms of mechanism, our data showed that miR-514b-3p/RING box protein 1 (RBX1) axis played a crucial role in the oncogenic function of lncRNA DDX11-AS1. LncRNA DDX11-AS1 expression impaired the inhibitory function of miR-514b-3p on RBX1 through sponging effect. Taken together, our data support the notion that lncRNA DDX11-AS1 promotes the progression of ESCA through miR-514b-3p/RBX1 axis. Our research uncovers the novel regulatory role of lncRNA DDX11-AS1 in ESCA and lays a theoretical basis for developing novel treatment strategy of ESCA.

Graphical abstract

KEYWORDS:

• Lnc rna ddx11-as1
• esophageal carcinoma
• miR-514b-3p
• rbx1

Authors contribution

C.W. conducted most of the experiments and wrote some manuscripts. X.T.T., J.Q.W. and Y.S.Z. conducted some experiments. B.W. conceived the research, explained the data and wrote some manuscript. The final manuscript was read and approved by all authors.

Highlights

1. LncRNA DDX11-AS1 is highly expressed in ESCA tissues and cell lines.

2. ESCA patients with high expression of lncRNA DDX11-AS1 have poor prognosis.

3. LncRNA DDX11-AS1 regulates the malignant phenotype of ESCA cells through miR-514b-3p/RBX1 axis.

Conflicts of interest

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data statement

Data will be provided on reasonable request.