lncARSR sponges miR‐34a‐5p to promote colorectal cancer invasion and metastasis via hexokinase‐1‐mediated glycolysis

Aerobic glycolysis metabolic reprogramming is one of the most important hallmarks of malignant tumors. Increasing evidence indicates that long non‐coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are able to regulate glycolysis metabolic reprogramming and promote cancer progression by functioning as competing endogenous RNAs. lncARSR is a newly identified onco‐lncRNA in renal cancer, but its potential role in metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC) remains unclear. Here, we analyzed specimens from 89 patients with CRC and demonstrated that lncARSR was highly expressed in CRC tissues and negatively associated with survival. Positron emission tomography‐computed tomography imaging with fluoro‐2‐d‐deoxyglucose F18 to evaluate glucose uptake showed that lncARSR expression was positively correlated with maximum standardized uptake values. Functionally, ectopic expression of lncARSR promoted the invasion, metastasis, and glycolysis metabolic reprogramming of CRC cells in vitro and in vivo, while these activities were inhibited by silencing lncARSR expression. Molecularly, lncARSR sponged miR‐34a‐5p and further mediated hexokinase 1 (HK1)‐related aerobic glycolysis in vitro and in vivo. Clinically, high lncARSR and HK1 expression predicted poor survival of patients with CRC, especially when combined with low miR‐34a‐5p expression. Collectively, we identified lncARSR as an onco‐lncRNA in CRC and demonstrated that the combination of lncARSR/miR‐34a‐5p/HK1 may be a potential prognostic biomarker of CRC.