LncRNA XIST promotes migration of Wilms' tumor cells through modulation of microRNA-193a-5p.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) XIST expression in Wilms' tumor (WT) and to further explore its relationship with clinical features and prognosis of WT patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Quantitative Real Time-Polymerase Chain Reaction (qRT-PCR) was carried out to examine the expression level of XIST in tumor tissue samples and paracancerous ones collected from 43 patients with renal cell carcinoma, and the interplay between XIST expression and clinical indicators, as well as prognosis of patients was analyzed. Meanwhile, XIST level in the nephroblast cancer cell line was further confirmed by qRT-PCR. In addition, XIST knockdown model was constructed using lentivirus in the WT cell lines, including HFWT and 17-94, and the influence of XIST on WT cell functions was analyzed through transwell assay. Finally, we investigated whether lncRNA XIST plays a role in the progression of WT by modulating microRNA-193a-5p. RESULTS: In this research, qRT-PCR results revealed a significantly higher expression of lncRNA XIST in tumor tissue specimens of patients with renal cell carcinoma than that in adjacent ones. Compared with patients with low expression of lncRNA XIST, those with high XIST expression had a higher incidence of distant metastasis and a lower overall survival rate. Compared with the negative control group, the metastatic ability of WT cells in the lncRNA XIST knockdown group was markedly weakened. In addition, the results of qPCR showed that mRNA expression of lncRNA XIST and microRNA-193a-5p were negatively correlated in renal cell carcinoma tissue specimens. At the same time, silencing microRNA-193a-5p reversed the reduced metastasis ability of WT cells induced by knockdown of XIST. CONCLUSIONS: LncRNA XIST expression is dramatically enhanced in WT tissues and cell lines, which is closely associated with the incidence of distant metastasis and patients' poor prognosis. In addition, we demonstrated that lncRNA XIST may accelerate the malignant progression of WT via inhibiting microRNA-193a-5p.