Abstract
BACKGROUND: RP11-334E6.12 is a dysregulated long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) that has never been studied in breast cancer. The biological function and potential mechanism of RNA RP11-334E6.12 in tumorigenesis are still unknown. METHODS: We scanned the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database and identified RP11-334E6.12 as one of the most dysregulated lncRNAs. The level of RP11-334E6.12 was assessed in breast cancer (BC) tissue samples and BC cell lines. The survival and RP11-334E6.12 expression of patients were analysed. The biological influence of RP11-334E6.12 on BC cell lines was studied using proliferation, Transwell migration, and invasion assays. RESULTS: RP11-334E6.12 was upregulated in both the TCGA database and our own database. Moreover, survival analyses indicated that RP11-334E6.12 was related to poor overall survival. Moreover, RP11-334E6.12 promoted the proliferation, migration and invasion of BC cells. RP11-334E6.12 promotes the epithelial mesenchymal transition of BC by activating the STAT3 pathway. CONCLUSION: Taken together, our results demonstrate that RP11-334E6.12 is associated with the progression of breast cancer. Our findings indicate that long noncoding RNA RP11-334E6.12 promotes the proliferation, migration and invasion of breast cancer cells by activating the STAT3 pathway.