Long non‐coding RNA ZEB1‐AS1 promotes colon adenocarcinoma malignant progression via miR‐455‐3p/PAK2 axis

OBJECTIVE: The long non‐coding RNA zinc finger E‐box‐binding homeobox 1 antisense 1 (ZEB1‐AS1) acts as an oncogenic regulator in many human tumours. In the present study, we identify the role and potential molecular biological mechanisms of ZEB1‐AS1 in colon adenocarcinoma (COAD). METHODS: QRT‐PCR was used to detect the expression of ZEB1‐AS1, miR‐455‐3p and p21‐activated kinases 2 (PAK2) in COAD tissues. CCK8 assay, EdU assay, transwell assay and scratch wound assay were used to explore the biological function of ZEB1‐AS1 in COAD cells. Bioinformatics, luciferase reporter assays and an RNA pull‐down assay were used to demonstrate the mechanism of ZEB1‐AS1. We further explore the role of ZEB1‐AS1 in vivo though xenograft tumour assay. RESULTS: We found that ZEB1‐AS1 expression was significantly up‐regulated in COAD tissues, and high ZEB1‐AS1 level was correlated with the poor prognosis of COAD patients. MiR‐455‐3p plays an anti‐cancer role in COAD by targeting PAK2. We confirmed that ZEB1‐AS1 promotes PAK2 expression by sponging miR‐455‐3p, thus facilitating COAD cell growth and metastasis. CONCLUSIONS: To sum up, this result illustrates the novel molecular mechanism of ZEB1‐AS1 in COAD and provides a new target for the diagnosis and treatment of COAD patients.