Long non-coding RNA ROR1-AS1 induces tumorigenesis of colorectal cancer by affecting Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway

Recent studies have discovered that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play an important role in malignant tumors. In this research, lncRNA ROR1-AS1 was selected to identify how it affects the development of colorectal cancer (CRC). ROR1-AS1 expression was detected by RT-qPCR in CRC tissue samples. ROR1-AS1 expression level and patients’ overall survival time were analyzed. Functional experiments were conducted to identify the changes of biological behaviors in CRC cells after knockdown of ROR1-AS1. Moreover, we also explored the underlying mechanism. Detection of ROR1-AS1 expression level in patients’ tissues showed that ROR1-AS1 was higher in CRC tissues than that in adjacent ones. ROR1-AS1 expression was negatively associated with patients’ overall survival time. Cell growth ability was inhibited due to knockdown of ROR1-AS1 in vitro. Moreover, cell migration and invasion were repressed after ROR1-AS1 knockdown. Furthermore, due to knockdown of ROR1-AS1, the targeted proteins in Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway were suppressed. These results suggest that ROR1-AS1 could enhance cell metastasis and proliferation via inducing Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, which might offer a potential therapeutic target in CRC.