Repression of lncRNA PART1 attenuates ovarian cancer cell viability, migration and invasion through the miR-503-5p/FOXK1 axis

BACKGROUND: Ovarian cancer (OC) is a female malignant tumor with a high fatality rate. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are deeply involved in OC progression. The aim of this study is to explore the specific mechanism of lncRNA prostate androgen-regulated transcript 1 (PART1) in OC. METHODS: Quantitative real time PCR was utilized to determine the expression levels of PART1, microRNA (miR)-503-5p and forkhead-box k1 (FOXK1) in OC tissues and/or cells. The cell viability, migration, and invasion in OC were evaluated by 3-(4, 5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2, 5-diphenyl-2-h-tetrazolium bromide assay, wound healing assay and transwell invasion assay, respectively. Flow cytometry was used to analyze the cell apoptosis. The xenograft tumor was conducted in nude mice to verify the effect of PART1 knockdown on OC in vivo. The target relationships among PART1, miR-503-5p and FOXK1 were predicted by StarBase, and verified by luciferase reporter assay. The level of FOXK1 was assessed by western blot. RESULTS: Increased expression of PART1 and FOXK1 was observed in OC tissues or cells, whereas miR-503-5p was downregulated. PART1 silencing or miR-503-5p overexpression repressed the cell viability, migration and invasion, and protomed apoptosis. Meanwhile, miR-503-5p was a target of PART1, and FOXK1 was a direct target gene of miR-503-5p. Both downregulation of miR-503-5p and upregulation of FOXK1 partly relieved the suppressive effects of PART1 knockdown on the oncogenicity of OC in vitro. CONCLUSION: Decreased PART1 represses the cell viability, migration and invasion of OC via regulating the miR-503-5p/FOXK1 axis, which provided an underlying target for treating OC. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12885-021-09005-x.