LINC01063 functions as an oncogene in melanoma through regulation of miR-5194-mediated SOX12 expression.

Melanoma is one of the most aggressive skin cancers and a major cause of cancer-linked deaths worldwide. As the morbidity and mortality of melanoma are increasing, it is necessary to elucidate the potential mechanism influencing melanoma progression. Tumor tissues and adjacent normal tissues (5 cm away from tumors) from 22 melanoma patients at the I-II stage and 39 patients at the III-VI stage were acquired. The expression of LINC01063 in melanoma was estimated by quantitative PCR. Functional assays were employed to investigate the function of LINC01063 in melanoma. Mechanism assays were adopted to explore the mechanism of LINC01063. LINC01063 knockdown impeded melanoma cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition as well as melanoma tumor growth. Mechanistically, LINC01063 acted as an miR-5194 sponge to upregulate SOX12 expression. Finally, LINC01063 was tested to facilitate the malignant behaviors of melanoma cells via targeting miR-5194/SOX12. LINC01063 was significantly upregulated in melanoma. Specifically, LINC01063 displayed a higher level in patients at an advanced stage or with metastasis than those at an early stage or without metastasis. Our study revealed the oncogenic effects of LINC01063 on melanoma cell/tumor growth and its molecular mechanism involving miR-5194/SOX12, which might support LINC01063 to be the potential prognostic or therapeutic biomarker against melanoma.