LncRNA FBXO18-AS promotes gastric cancer progression by TGF-β1/Smad signaling

For the digestive system, there exists one common malignant tumor, known as gastric cancer. It is the third most prevalent type of tumor among different tumors worldwide. It has been reported that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), participate in various biological processes of gastric cancer. However, there are still many lncRNAs with unknown functions, and we discovered a novel lncRNA designated as FBXO18-AS. Whether lncRNA FBXO18-AS participates in gastric cancer progression is still unknown. Bioinformatic analysis, immunohistochemistry, Western blotting, and qPCR were carried out to explore FBXO18-AS and TGF-β1 expression. In addition, EdU, MTS, migration and transwell assays were performed to investigate the invasion, proliferation and migration of gastric cancer in vitro. We first discovered that FBXO18-AS expression was upregulated in gastric cancer and linked to poorer outcomes among patients with gastric cancer. Then, we confirmed that FBXO18-AS promoted the proliferation, invasion, migration, and an EMT-like process in gastric cancer in vivo and in vitro. Mechanistically, FBXO18-AS was found to be involved in the progression of gastric cancer by modulating TGF-β1/Smad signaling. Therefore, it might offer a possible biomarker for gastric cancer diagnosis and an effective strategy for clinical treatment.