Long non‐coding RNA ZEB1‐AS1 promotes colon adenocarcinoma malignant progression via miR‐455‐3p/PAK2 axis

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: The long non-coding RNA zinc finger E-box-binding homeobox 1 antisense 1 (ZEB1-AS1) acts as an oncogenic regulator in many human tumours. In the present study, we identify the role and potential molecular biological mechanisms of ZEB1-AS1 in colon adenocarcinoma (COAD). METHODS: QRT-PCR was used to detect the expression of ZEB1-AS1, miR-455-3p and p21-activated kinases 2 (PAK2) in COAD tissues. CCK8 assay, EdU assay, transwell assay and scratch wound assay were used to explore the biological function of ZEB1-AS1 in COAD cells. Bioinformatics, luciferase reporter assays and an RNA pull-down assay were used to demonstrate the mechanism of ZEB1-AS1. We further explore the role of ZEB1-AS1 in vivo though xenograft tumour assay. RESULTS: We found that ZEB1-AS1 expression was significantly up-regulated in COAD tissues, and high ZEB1-AS1 level was correlated with the poor prognosis of COAD patients. MiR-455-3p plays an anti-cancer role in COAD by targeting PAK2. We confirmed that ZEB1-AS1 promotes PAK2 expression by sponging miR-455-3p, thus facilitating COAD cell growth and metastasis. CONCLUSIONS: To sum up, this result illustrates the novel molecular mechanism of ZEB1-AS1 in COAD and provides a new target for the diagnosis and treatment of COAD patients.