Long intergenic non-coding RNA LINC00485 exerts tumor-suppressive activity by regulating miR-581/EDEM1 axis in colorectal cancer

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNA) play a vital role in colorectal cancer (CRC) progression. To investigate the role of long intergenic non-coding RNA LINC00485 in CRC, we performed in vitro functional experiments. LoVo tumor-bearing and liver metastasis mice were used as in vivo models. We found that LINC00485 expression was significantly lower in CRC tissues and cancer cells than in paired normal samples and human normal colonic epithelial cells. Lower expression of LINC00485 predicted poor prognosis in CRC patients. LINC00485 knockdown promoted the proliferation, migration, and invasion of FHC cells, while LINC00485 overexpression weakened these abilities of LoVo cells. MicroRNA miR-581 was the downstream target of LINC00485, which was downregulated in CRC samples and cancer cells compared to normal tissues and normal colonic epithelial cells. MiR-581 overexpression induced proliferation, migration, and invasion of FHC cells, while miR-581 antagomir treatment produced opposite results. MiR-581 directly targeted the 3'UTR of EDEM1 and inhibited its expression and induction of epithelial-mesenchymal transition of CRC. In mouse models, LINC00485 knockdown or down-regulation of miR-581 significantly repressed CRC cell growth and prevented CRC liver metastasis. Overall, LINC00485 suppressed CRC tumorigenesis and progression by targeting the miR-581/EDEM1 axis. LINC00485 may be a potential therapeutic target for CRC.