RHPN1-AS1 promotes ovarian carcinogenesis by sponging miR-6884-5p thus releasing TOP2A mRNA

Ovarian cancer, a severe lethal gynecological malignancy, is characterized by both high morbidity and mortality. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have recently caused extensive concern due to their regulatory function in various human tumors. There are a mounting number of lncRNAs that are in extreme need of research, serving as biomarkers for diagnosis and therapy for ovarian cancer. In the present study, RT-qPCR was employed to detect how Rhophilin Rho GTPase binding protein 1 antisense RNA1 (RHPN1-AS1), miR-6884-5p and DNA topoisomerase IIα (TOP2A) are expressed in ovarian cancer tissues or cell lines. BrdU, MTT, colony formation and cell adhesion assays, caspase-3 activity, flow cytometry and wound healing assay were employed to assess cell proliferation, viability, colony number, adhesion, apoptosis and migration in ovarian cancer, respectively. RHPN1-AS1 was determined to be enriched in ovarian cancer tissues and cell lines. Silencing of RHPN1-AS1 was reported to increase cell apoptosis and impair cell proliferation, viability, colony number, adhesion and migration in vitro. Furthermore, RHPN1-AS1 was able to sponge miR-6884-5p which directly targets TOP2A in ovarian cancer. Notably, silencing of RHPN1-AS1 functionally reversed the oncogenic effect induced by the miR-6884-5p inhibitor, while the miR-6884-5p inhibitor markedly restored the inhibition of ovarian carcinogenesis modulated by silencing TOP2A in ovarian cancer. RHPN1-AS1 was found to promote ovarian carcinogenesis via sponging miR-6884-5p thus releasing TOP2A, and RHPN1-AS1 may act as a promising biomarker for the prognosis and therapy of ovarian cancer.