The long noncoding RNA CTA‐941F9.9 is frequently downregulated and may serve as a biomarker for carcinogenesis in colorectal cancer

BACKGROUND: Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) participate in the carcinogenesis of many different cancers. This study aimed to detect expression of lncRNA CTA‐941F9.9 in colorectal cancer tissues compared with matched nontumorous adjacent tissues (NATs). Moreover, we investigated whether this molecule is able to influence carcinogenesis in colorectal cancer (CRC). METHODS: Colorectal cancer tissues and NATs from two cohorts of patients were examined. Quantitative PCR was performed to quantify levels of CTA‐941F9.9 expression in these samples. The association between CTA‐941F9.9 expression and clinicopathological features, including receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, was also analyzed to evaluate the diagnostic value of CTA‐941F9.9 in CRC. Potential effects of lncRNA CTA‐941F9.9 on CRC cells were assessed via autophagy, transwell assay, CCK8 assays, and flow cytometry. RESULTS: Our experimental results showed lncRNA CTA‐941F9.9 to be significantly downregulated in CRC tissues in both cohorts, with areas under the ROC curve (AUC) of 0.802 and 0.876. However, no significant correlations between CTA‐941F9.9 expression levels and clinicopathological characteristics or patient outcomes were observed. We also found that CTA‐941F9.9 promotes autophagy in CRC cell lines but no significant function of CTA‐941F9.9 in regulating cancer cell proliferation or migration. CONCLUSIONS: LncRNA CTA‐941F9.9 is frequently downregulated in CRC compared with NATs and might play an important role in CRC carcinogenesis.