Long noncoding RNA ROR1-AS1 enhances lung adenocarcinoma metastasis and induces epithelial-mesenchymal transition by sponging miR-375.

Objective: The vital role of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) in tumor progression have been identified in numerous studies. In this research, lncRNA ROR1-AS1 was explored to verify its function during the development of lung adenocarcinoma (LAC).

Methods: Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) was utilized to measure ROR1-AS1 expression of LAC tissues. Function assays including wound healing assay and transwell assay were conducted to detect the effect of knockdown of ROR1-AS1 on the metastasis of LAC, and luciferase assays and RNA immunoprecipitation assay (RIP) were also performed to explore the underlying mechanism.

Results: ROR1-AS1 expression level was significantly higher in LAC samples compared with that in adjacent tissues, which was associated with patients' prognosis. Knockdown of ROR1-AS1 inhibited cell migration and cell invasion of LAC cells via suppressing epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) process. Furthermore, it was discovered that ROR1-AS1 acted as a competing endogenous RNA via sponging miR-375 in LAC.

Conclusions: These results suggested that ROR1-AS1 could act as a sponge for miR-375 and promo//e cell migration and invasion through suppressing the process of EMT in LAC, which may offer a potential therapeutic target in LAC.