RAMS11 promotes CRC through mTOR-dependent inhibition of autophagy, suppression of apoptosis, and promotion of epithelial-mesenchymal transition

BACKGROUND: Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), a class of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) associated with diverse biological processes of cells. Over the past decades, cumulating research evidences revealed that abnormal expressions of lncRNAs are associated with colorectal cancer (CRC) initiation, progression, metastasis, and resistance to therapies. Moreover, their usefulness as candidate biomarkers for CRC diagnosis and prognosis are well evident throughout previous literature. In the current study, we examined the role and molecular mechanisms of newly identified lncRNA named RNA associated with metastasis-11 (RAMS11) in CRC development. METHODS: The expression of RAMS11 in CRC cell lines DLD-1, HT-29, HCT-116, and SW480 and colon normal cells CCD-112-CoN were evaluated by quantitative RT-qPCR. The results showed that the RAMS11 is significantly upregulated in CRC cell lines compared to the normal cells. The CCK-8 proliferation assay, colony formation assay, and migration assay were performed to evaluate the biological and physiological functions of RAMS11 in vitro. To decipher the molecular mechanisms of RAMS11 medicated CRC progression, we further performed western blot analysis of the key pathway proteins (e.g., AMPK, AKT, and mTOR). RESULTS: Our results revealed that higher expression of RAMS11 is associated with increased CRC proliferation, migration, and development of metastasis. Knockdown of RAMS11 induced autophagy, apoptosis along with reduction of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) suggesting that RAMS11 is involved in CRC progression. The molecular mechanisms of RAMS11 indicated that knockdown of RAMS11 significantly inhibited CRC carcinogenesis through mTOR-dependent autophagy induction. CONCLUSIONS: In sum, our results suggested that RAMS11 is an important oncogene in CRC pathogenesis. Targeting RAMS11 could be a potential therapeutic strategy for CRC management. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12935-021-02023-6.