Abstract
BACKGROUND: Breast cancer is the most common malignant tumor and usually occurs in women. Studies have shown that lncRNA nuclear enriched abundant transcript 1 (NEAT1) contributes to breast cancer progression. This study intends to further investigate the molecular mechanism of NEAT1 in breast cancer. METHODS: The expression levels of NEAT1, miR-410-3p and Cyclin D1 (CCND1) were detected by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) in breast cancer tissues and cells. Kaplan-Meier analysis and the log-rank test were performed to determine the relationship between NEAT1 and overall survival. Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay analyzed cell proliferation. Transwell assay was performed to examine cell migration and invasion. The protein levels of CCND1 and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-related proteins (E-cadherin, N-cadherin and Vimentin) were measured by western blot. The target relationship was predicted by bioinformatics analysis, and confirmed by luciferase reporter assay and RNA Immunoprecipitation (RIP) assay. Xenograft analysis was used to evaluate the tumor growth in vivo. RESULTS: NEAT1 and CCND1 were upregulated, while miR-410-3p was down-regulated in breast cancer tissues and cells. Higher NEAT1 expression level was associated with lower survival rate of breast cancer patients. Knockdown of miR-410-3p restored silenced NEAT1-mediated the inhibition of on proliferation, migration, invasion and EMT of breast cancer cells. In addition, NEAT1 regulated CCND1 expression by sponging miR-410-3p in breast cancer cells. NEAT1 knockdown blocked the tumor growth in vivo. CONCLUSION: NEAT1 induced breast cancer progression by regulating the miR-410-3p/CCND1 axis, indicating that NEAT1 may be a potential therapeutic target in breast cancer.