Long Noncoding RNA LINC01296 Harbors miR-21a to Regulate Colon Carcinoma Proliferation and Invasion

Increasing evidence has demonstrated that aberrant expressions of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are closely correlated to various malignancies, as well as colon carcinoma (CC). The aim of this study was to investigate the role of lncRNA long intergenic noncoding RNA 001296 (LINC01296) in tumorigenesis of CC. The result of the quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) demonstrated that LINC01296 was upregulated in CC cancerous tissues and cell lines compared to adjacent normal tissue and normal liver cell lines. LINC01296 overexpression was associated with poor prognosis and lower survival rate. Moreover, LINC01296 silencing inhibited the proliferation and invasion of CC cells in vitro detected by epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT). Bioinformatics analysis revealed that miR-21a targeted the 3′-UTR of LINC01296. Rescue experiments confirmed that miR21a could reverse the function of LINC01296 on CC cells. Together, our findings indicated that overexpression of LINC01296 is associated with poor survival of CC patients and promotes CC cell progression by regulating miR-21a, providing a prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target.