Abstract
Although accumulating evidence has shown the important function of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in tumor progression and chemotherapy resistance, the role of lncRNA DLEU1 in regulating proliferation, invasion, and chemoresistance of bladder cancer (BCA) cells remains largely unknown. Here, we found that DLEU1 was upregulated in BLCA tissues and BCA patients with high DLEU1 expression exhibited a shorter survival time. Furthermore, mechanistic analysis and functional assays validated that DLEU1 induced cell proliferation, invasion, and cisplatin resistance of BCA cells by de-repressing the expression of HS3ST3B1 through sponging miR-99b. Low miR-99b and high HS3ST3B1 levels were correlated with worse prognosis in patients with BCA. Ectopic expression of HS3ST3B1 or inhibition of miR-99b reversed DLEU1 knockdown-mediated suppression of cell proliferation, invasion, and cisplatin resistance. Thus, our study revealed a novel role for the DLEU1/miR-99b/HS3ST3B1 axis in regulating proliferation, invasion, and cisplatin resistance of BCA cells.