Abstract
BACKGROUND: Prostate cancer, characterized by its insidious onset and short overall survival, and has seen a rise in incidence over recent decades. This study aims to investigate the expression and molecular mechanism of lncRNA PTCSC3 (PTCSC3) in prostate cancer in order to develop new prognostic and therapeutic biomarkers. METHODS: The level of PTCSC3 in serum and cell samples of prostate cancer was quantitatively measured using RT-qPCR assays. The correlation between the variation in PTCSC3 levels and clinical indicators of patients was evaluated. The survival status of the prostate cancer patients included in the study was evaluated using Kaplan-Meier curve and multivariable Cox analysis. The impact of PTCSC3 overexpression on cell growth and activity was revealed by CCK-8 and Transwell assays. The targeting relationship between PTCSC3 and miR-182-5p was determined by bioinformatics prediction and luciferase activity. RESULTS: PTCSC3 was found to be downregulated in prostate cancer, and its low levels were associated with short overall survival in patients. It influenced the progression of prostate cancer by targeting miR-182-5p. Increasing PTCSC3 levels suppressed the proliferation, migration and invasion levels of cells, and miR-182-5p mimic counteracted PTCSC3's effects on cells. CONCLUSIONS: As a potential prognostic biological factor for prostate cancer, PTCSC3 may regulate the progression of prostate cancer by sponging miR-182-5p and affect the prognosis of patients.