Knockdown of Long Non-Coding RNA LOC100132707 Inhibits the Migration of Uveal Melanoma Cells via Silencing JAK2

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE: Although lots of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been demonstrated to be involved in carcinogenesis, the functions of numerous of lncRNAs remain unknown. Bioinformatics online database showed that lncRNA LOC100132707 was highly expressed in metastatic melanoma tissues, and its expression predicted a lower overall survival rate in melanoma patients. However, LOC100132707 function in uveal melanoma (UM) progression still remains unclear. In the present study, we aimed to elucidate the role and molecular mechanisms underlying LOC100132707 in UM. METHODS: RT-PCR was used to detect the levels of LOC100132707 in UM cells. Cell migration, invasion and tumorigenesis were tested by using the transwell chamber assay and in vivo assay. RESULTS: LOC100132707 expression in metastatic UM cell line MM28 was significantly higher than that of the non-metastatic UM cell lines, MP38, MP46 and MP65, as well as the expressions of LOC100132707-related genes, including XRN1, PARP14, JAK2, DDX60, BUB1 and SAMD9L. LOC100132707 downregulation significantly repressed cell migration and invasion abilities, whereas overexpressing JAK2 rescued these effects. Consistently, upregulation of LOC100132707 induced significant increases in cell migration and invasion abilities via upregulating JAK2. In addition, silencing of LOC100132707 significantly repressed the in vivo tumor formation ability in UM cells. CONCLUSION: This study reveals that silence of LOC100132707 represses the migration of UM via downregulating JAK2. The LOC100132707/JAK2 axis might serve as a potent target for the prevention and treatment of UM metastasis.