IGFL2-AS1 facilitates tongue squamous cell carcinoma progression via Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway.

OBJECTIVES

Tongue squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC) is the most common malignancy in oral cancer. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are important regulators in cancer biology. In our present study, we investigated a novel lncRNA IGF-like family member 2 antisense RNA 1 (IGFL2-AS1) in TSCC.

METHODS

RT-qPCR analyzed IGFL2-AS1 expression in TSCC cells. Functional assays assessed the impact of IGFL2-AS1 on TSCC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. Western blot analyzed the protein levels of EMT-related markers. Mechanism assays analyzed the regulatory mechanism of IGFL2-AS1 in TSCC cells. In-vivo experiments were conducted to prove the role of IGFL2-AS1 in TSCC progression.

RESULTS

IGFL2-AS1 was significantly up-regulated in TSCC cells and tissues, and IGFL2-AS1 knockdown inhibited cell proliferation, migration, invasion and EMT in TSCC. Moreover, IGFL2-AS1 functioned as a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) to sponge miR-1224-5p and thereby modulated SATB homeobox 1 (SATB1) expression. Additionally, SATB1 activated the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway in TSCC cells and IGFL2-AS1 regulated the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway and TSCC progression via elevating SATB1 expression.

CONCLUSIONS

The data revealed that IGFL2-AS1 played a cancer promoting role in TSCC and may aid in exploring a brand new biomarker that might contribute to TSCC treatment.