Oncogenic lncRNA ZNFX1 antisense RNA 1 promotes osteosarcoma cells proliferation and metastasis by stabilizing serine and arginine‑rich splicing factor 3

Recent studies have demonstrated that lncRNAs play an important role in cancers, particularly osteosarcoma. ZFAS1 is a newly identified and characterized lncRNA linked to a variety of cancers. The role of ZFAS1 in osteosarcoma is mainly unknown. This study discovered that ZFAS1 was upregulated in osteosarcoma patient tissues, which correlates with elevated SRSF3 protein levels. Higher levels of ZFAS1 or SRSF3 were linked to a poor prognosis of osteosarcoma. ZFAS1 knockdown decreased SRSF3 protein levels but had a negligible effect on SRSF3 mRNA expression. Further research indicated that ZFAS1 could bind to the SRSF3 protein directly and prevent degrading. Functional studies revealed that ZFAS1 knockdown inhibited osteosarcoma cell proliferation as measured by the CCK-8 assay, colony formation assay, and Ki-67 immunofluorescence staining. Furthermore, ZFAS1 knockdown reduced the expression of PCNA, CDK1, CDK4, and CDK6, increasing p53 and p16. IT has also been observed that ZFAS1 knockdown inhibited osteosarcoma cell migration and invasion as measured by the wound healing assay and the trans-well assay with or without Matrigel. Furthermore, exogenous SRSF3 expression in ZFAS1-depleted osteosarcoma cells restored SRSF3 expression while simultaneously inhibiting cell proliferation and metastasis. Our findings show that ZFAS1 plays an essential role in osteosarcoma progression by stabilizing the SRSF3 protein. Our study provides novel insight into the role of ZFAS1 in osteosarcoma. ZFAS1 has the potential to be used as a prognostic biomarker as well as a therapeutic target in the treatment of osteosarcoma.