LncRNA PCAT-1 regulated cell proliferation, invasion, migration and apoptosis in colorectal cancer through targeting miR-149-5p.

OBJECTIVE: Emerging studies suggested that lncRNA plays an important role in cell progression of multiple cancers. In CRC, the function of some lncRNAs has been verified to be related to cell proliferation, apoptosis, migration and invasion, providing a crucial theoretical basis for the treatment of colorectal cancer. Due to the complexity of the regulation mechanism of cell growth, the regulation mechanism related to lncRNA still needs to be further studied in CRC. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The qRT-PCR assay was used to carry out the expression of prostate cancer-associated ncRNA transcripts 1 (PCAT-1) and miR-149-5p. The Western blots were used to measure the protein expression of CDK4, Cyclin D1, MMP-2, MMP-9, Bcl-2, Bax and β-actin. Additionally, flow cytometry and MTT assay were used to assess cell apoptosis and cell proliferation, respectively. Moreover, transwell assay was applied to measure the ability of cells migrated and invasion in CRC. Luciferase reporter assay was performed to detect luciferase activities. RESULTS: In this study, lncRNA PCAT-1 expression was significantly upregulated in CRC cells and tissues. More than that, knockdown of lncRNA PCAT-1 inhibited cell proliferation, migration and invasion while promoted cell apoptosis in CRC cells. Of note, lncRNA PCAT-1 directly targeted miR-149-5p and miR-149-5p expression was significantly downregulated in CRC cells and tissues. Moreover, miR-149-3p reversed the suppressive effects of PCAT-1 on the cell growth of CRC cells. CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrated that LncRNA PCAT-1 regulated cell proliferation, invasion, migration and apoptosis in colorectal cancer through targeting miR-149-5p and provided a new regulatory mechanism of CRC.