Long non-coding RNA NEAT1 promotes ovarian cancer cell invasion and migration by interacting with miR-1321 and regulating tight junction protein 3 expression

Previous studies have reported that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have a significant role in the metastasis of tumors, including ovarian cancer (OC). The aim of the present study was to demonstrate the function and working mechanism of lncRNA nuclear enriched abundant transcript 1 (NEAT1) in OC. The expressions of NEAT1 in OC were measured by reverse transcription-quantitativePCR (RT-qPCR). The effects of NEAT1 on cell proliferation, invasion, migration and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) were detected by Cell Counting Kit-8, transwell and wound healing assays, and western blotting. Dual-luciferase reporter assays were performed to confirm the correlated between NEAT and miR-1321, miR-1321 and TJP3. The effect of NEAT1 on miR-1321 and TJP3 was confirmed by RT-qPCR and western blotting. Elevated expression of NEAT1 was observed in OC cell lines, and NEAT1 expression was found to be positively related to the expression of tight junction protein 3 (TJP3), which is important in cancer development. Moreover, the present results indicated that NEAT1 and TJP3 expression levels were negatively correlated with microRNA (miR)-1321 expression in OC. Knockdown of NEAT1 attenuated the migration and invasion of OC cells, as well as increased miR-1321 expression and in turn led to the reduction of TJP3. Thus, the present study demonstrated that NEAT1 regulates TJP3 expression by sponging miR-1321 and enhances the epithelial-mesenchymal transition, invasion and migration of OC cells. Overall, the present study identified the function and mechanism of NEAT1 in OC, suggesting that NEAT1 may be a promising therapeutic target for OC metastasis.