Abstract
BACKGROUND: Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is one of the deadliest malignancies. There is a growing body of evidence showing that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play critical roles in ESCC oncogenesis. The present study aimed to explore the role of LOC101928477, a newly discovered lncRNA, in the development and metastasis of ESCC. METHODS: In this study, real-time PCR, western blotting, cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8), flow cytometry, colony formation, wound healing, transwell migration/invasion assay, immunofluorescence, and immunohistochemistry were used. We also applied an in situ xenograft mouse model and a lung metastasis mouse model to verify our findings. RESULTS: We determined that LOC101928477 expression was inhibited in ESCC tissue and ESCC cell lines when compared with controls. Moreover, forced expression of LOC101928477 effectively inhibited ESCC cell proliferation, colony formation, migration, and invasion via suppression of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Furthermore, LOC101928477 overexpression inhibited in situ tumor growth and lung metastasis in a mouse model. CONCLUSIONS: Together, our results suggested that LOC101928477 could be a novel suppressor gene involved in ESCC progression.