Long non-coding RNA lncTCF7 activates the Wnt/β-catenin pathway to promote metastasis and invasion in colorectal cancer

Long non-coding RNA (Lnc)TCF7 is a novel lncRNA that is involved in tumorigenesis. Previous studies have revealed that lncTCF7 serves an essential role in maintaining cancer stem cell self-renewal; however, the functions of lncTCF7 in colorectal cancer (CRC) remain unknown. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the role of lncTCF7 in CRC. LncTCF7 was upregulated in 52/58 CRC tissues, and its expression correlated with tumor size, lymph metastasis and tumor-node-metastasis stage in CRC. Knocking down lncTCF7 in colon cancer cell lines decreased cell proliferation, migration and invasion, while lncTCF7 overexpression showed opposite changes. In addition, lncTCF7 promoted cell proliferation in vivo. LncTCF7 activated the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, which is essential for cancer development. Survival analysis revealed that patients with higher expression of lncTCF7 had significantly worse prognosis compared with patients with low expression. These findings indicate that lncTCF7 regulates CRC progression and support the notion of lncTCF7 as a CRC prognostic marker.