Ets-1 promoter-associated noncoding RNA regulates the NONO/ERG/Ets-1 axis to drive gastric cancer progression

Emerging studies have indicated the essential functions of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) during cancer progression. However, whether lncRNAs contribute to the upregulation of v-ets erythroblastosis virus E26 oncogene homolog 1 (Ets-1), an established oncogenic protein facilitating tumor invasion and metastasis, in gastric cancer remains elusive. Herein, we identified Ets-1 promoter-associated noncoding RNA (pancEts-1) as a novel lncRNA associated with the gastric cancer progression via mining of publicly available datasets and rapid amplification of cDNA ends. RNA pull-down, RNA immunoprecipitation, in vitro binding, and RNA electrophoretic mobility shift assays indicated the binding of pancEts-1 to non-POU domain containing octamer binding (NONO) protein. Mechanistically, pancEts-1 facilitated the physical interaction between NONO and Ets related gene (ERG), resulting in increased ERG transactivation and transcription of Ets-1 associated with gastric cancer progression. In addition, pancEts-1 facilitated the growth and aggressiveness of gastric cancer cells via interacting with NONO. In gastric cancer tissues, pancEts-1, NONO, and ERG were upregulated and significantly correlated with Ets-1 levels. High levels of pancEts-1, NONO, ERG, or Ets-1 were respectively associated with poor survival of gastric cancer patients, whereas simultaneous expression of all of them (HR = 3.012, P = 0.105) was not an independent prognostic factor for predicting clinical outcome. Overall, these results demonstrate that lncRNA pancEts-1 exhibits oncogenic properties that drive the progression of gastric cancer via regulating the NONO/ERG/Ets-1 axis.