Long non­coding RNA CCAT1 enhances human non­small cell lung cancer growth through downregulation of microRNA­218.

ABSTRACT

Long non­coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have critical functions in non­small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) growth. In the present study, we showed that lncRNA­CCAT1 was upregulated in NSCLC tissues. High expression of lncRNA­CCAT1 was related to tumor growth and reduced survival rate. We used short hairpin RNAs (shRNAs) to inhibit the expression of lncRNA­CCAT1 in NSCLC cells. In vitro and in vivo results demonstrated that lncRNA­CCAT1 knockdown suppressed tumor proliferation and induced apoptosis. Furthermore, microRNA­218 (miR­218) was confirmed as an effective target of lncRNA­CCAT1 in NSCLC. B lymphoma Mo­MLV insertion region 1 homolog (BMI­1), which served as a downstream target of miR­218, was also inhibited by lncRNA­CCAT1 knockdown. In conclusion, the present study indicated that upregulation of lncRNA­CCAT1 in NSCLC is associated with tumor malignant potential. lncRNA­CCAT1 enhances tumor growth in NSCLC by directly inhibiting miR­218 and indirectly increasing BMI­1 expression.