LncRNA MEG3 suppressed the progression of ovarian cancer via sponging miR-30e-3p and regulating LAMA4 expression

BACKGROUND: Ovarian cancer (OC) is a common female reproductive malignancy with a high mortality rate. Although LAMA4 was observed to be downregulated in OC cells, its mechanism in regulating OC metastasis is still unknown. This study aimed to investigate the effect of LAMA4 and its mechanism on OC. METHODS: To achieve this aim, a microarray analysis was performed to screen out the key genes involved in OC pathogenesis. Western-blot and qRT-PCR assays were also carried out to detect protein and mRNA expressions, respectively. A luciferase reporter assay was further used to confirm the direct interaction of miR-30e-3p with MEG3, and the direct interaction of miR-30e-3p with LAMA4 mRNA. Cytological experiments (CCK8, colony formation assay, wound-healing assay etc.) were then performed to explore the roles of miR-30e-3p, MEG3, and LAMA4 in OC cells. RESULTS: After carrying out microarray analysis, LAMA4 was confirmed as a key gene associated with OC pathogenesis. Research results proved that miR-30e-3p was markedly upregulated, while MEG3 and LAMA4 were noticeably downregulated in OC tissues and cells. The overexpression of LAMA4 significantly impaired the proliferation, migration, and invasion of OC cells. However, the upregulation of MEG3 increased the expression of LAMA4 by sponging miR-30e-3p, which alleviated the malignancy of OC cells. CONCLUSIONS: Observations showed that forced LAMA4 overexpression could inhibit OC progression, which was regulated by MEG3 via sponging miR-30e-3p. The findings of this research could provide new insights into the mechanism by which MEG3 and LAMA4 exert their anti-oncogenic roles in OC progression. Trial registration Not applicable