Silencing of LOC389641 impairs cell proliferation and induces autophagy via EGFR/MET signaling in lung adenocarcinoma

High-throughput RNA-sequencing studies of tumor samples have identified a large number of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) which are associated with various types of cancer. LncRNAs play key roles in regulating chromatin dynamics, gene expression, growth, differentiation and development. However, the role of LOC389641 in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) tumorigenesis is not clear. Here, we investigated the expression pattern, roles and mechanism of LOC389641 in lung cancer. LOC389641 expressions in tumor tissues and cell lines were measured by qRT-PCR. Functional studies including colony formation, cell proliferation and invasion were performed in lung cancer cell lines and Western blot was used to exam the protein changes upon siRNA treatment. We found that LOC389641 was highly expressed in lung adenocarcinomas and was associated with poor patient survival. Silencing of LOC389641 reduced colony formation, cell proliferation and invasion, as well as induced autophagy and apoptosis of lung adenocarcinoma cell lines in vitro. Mechanistically, downregulation of LOC389641 was found to decrease EGFR, MET and STAT3 proteins expression in lung cancer cells. LOC389641 is highly expressed and plays an oncogenic role in this type of NSCLC. Because of its specificity, LOC389641 may be a potential biomarker for prognosis and a possible target for lung adenocarcinoma.