Background
Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) ranks sixth among malignancies in the world, and there are 200,000 new cases annually, rendering OSCC a significant global public health issue that has caused great burdens on patients, society, and the economy. Despite great progress in diagnosis and treatment
Conclusion
Our results indicate that ZFAS1 serves as a crucial oncogenic factor in OSCC occurrence and development and may therefore serve as a possible therapeutic target for OSCC.
Methods
Firstly, we identified the lncRNA ZFAS1 levels in OSCC cells and tissues and confirmed its relationship to tumor progression. Secondly, we identified a lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA network, which was closely associated with OSCC development using bioinformatics methods. Next, our hypothesis that lncRNA ZFAS1 modulates OSCC progression was verified with in vitro and in vivo experiments.
Results
Firstly, we found lncRNA ZFAS1 expression increased within OSCC cells and tissues and was positively associated with tumor progression. Secondly, its lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA network was determined, and the target of ZFAS1 was identified as miR-6499-3p/C-C motif chemokine ligand 5 (CCL5). Mechanistically, we found that ZFAS1 up-regulated CCL5 by competitively sponging miR-6499-3p. Further studies demonstrated that ZFAS1 promoted tumor progression in vivo and in vitro.