Long Non-Coding RNA TRG-AS1 Promoted Proliferation and Invasion of Lung Cancer Cells Through the miR-224-5p/SMAD4 Axis

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to investigate the role and mechanism of long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) TRG-AS1 in mediating the proliferation, invasion and migration of lung cancer cells as well lung tumor growth. METHODS: Firstly, the expression levels of TRG-AS1, miR-224-5p in lung cancer tissues or cells were quantified by quantitative real-time PCR. Western blot analysis was conducted to measure the expression levels of protein SMAD4. CCK-8 assay, wound healing assay and transwell assay were conducted to evaluate cell proliferation, migration and invasion, respectively. The interaction between TRG-AS1 and miR-224-5p was predicted by bioinformatics analysis. Dual-luciferase assay and RNA pull-down assay were performed to further confirm their interaction. In addition, the interaction between miR-224-5p and SMAD4 was detected by RIP assay. RESULTS: The results showed that TRG-AS1 was highly upregulated and miR-224-5p was downregulated in lung cancer. A negative correlation was found between TRG-AS1 and miR-224-5p. Furthermore, upregulation of TRG-AS1 promoted cell proliferation and invasion, while overexpression of miR-224-5p attenuated the effects of TRG-AS1. The downstream protein SMAD4 played an important role. In vivo study showed that knockdown of TRG-AS1 effectively retarded tumor growth. DISCUSSION: Our data suggested that the TRG-AS1/miR-224-5p/SMAD4 axis may be a potential therapeutic target in lung cancer.