Abstract
Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been demonstrated to be critical regulators in tumorigenesis. LncRNA SPRY4-IT1 has been identified as critical regulator for hepatocellular carcinoma and ovarian cancer. However, the potential role and clinical value of SPRY4-IT1 in human thyroid cancer (TC) still remain unclear and need to be uncovered. Our current study was aimed to ascertain the biological role of expression of SPRY4-IT1 in TC tissues and cells. Our findings revealed that the level of SPRY4-IT1 was significantly upregulated in TC tissues and cell lines, which was correlated with poor prognosis. And cellular experiments exhibited that silenced SPRY4-IT1 inhibited the proliferative and migratory abilities of TC cells. Mechanism assays noted that silenced SPRY4-IT1 could increase the levels of transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) and p-Smad2/3 and function mediated by si-SPRY4-IT1 could be rescued by the interference of TGF-β1. Generally speaking, these findings elucidated that SPRY4-IT1 might become a novel prognostic factor in the clinical behaviors of TC patients and participated in the progression of TC through targeting TGF-β/Smad signaling pathway.