Abstract
Researchers have shown that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are closely associated with the pathogenesis of colorectal cancer (CRC). In here, we aimed to explore the function of lncRNA MAFG-AS1 in tumorigenesis of CRC. Firstly, we found that the expression of MAFG-AS1 was upregulated in CRC tissues and positively correlated with the advanced tumor stage. A reciprocal repression was found between MAFG-AS1 and miR-147b. The expression of miR-147b was downregulated in CRC tissues and inversely correlated with MAFG-AS1. Both the low-expression of miR-147b expression and the advanced tumor stage were independent factor for poor survival probability. Furthermore, overexpression of MAFG-AS1 promoted cell proliferation, cell cycle progression, and invasion, and inhibited apoptosis, while transduction of miR-147b partially reversed the effect of MAFG-AS1 on cellular processes. Consistently, stable over-expression of MAFG-AS1 contributed to the growth of colon cancer cell xenografts in vivo. NDUFA4 was identified as a direct target of miR-147b and knockdown of NDUFA4 abolished the oncogenic role of miR-147b inhibitor. Besides, MAFG-AS1 contributed to cell glycolysis by sponging miR-147b and activation of NDUFA4, causing an upregulation of PDK1, PFK1 and PKM2. Taken together, our study suggested that MAFG-AS1 functions as a novel oncogenic lncRNA in the development of CRC by regulating miR-147b/NDUFA4.