LINC00152 knockdown suppresses tumorigenesis in non-small cell lung cancer via sponging miR-16-5p

BACKGROUND: Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is one of the most aggressive types of cancer worldwide. It has been reported that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are involved in the pathogenesis of NSCLC. In addition, LINC00152 is known to be upregulated in NSCLC. However, the mechanism underlying the effect of LINC00152 on NSCLC tumorigenesis remains to be elucidated. METHODS: In the present study, cell viability, apoptosis and invasion were investigated by CCK-8, flow cytometry and Transwell assays, respectively. Reverse transcription‑quantitative polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting were performed to determine the mRNA and protein expression levels. In addition, the association between LINC00152, microRNA (miR)-16-5p and BCL2-like 2 (BCL2L2) was evaluated using a dual-luciferase assay. RESULTS: The results demonstrated that LINC00152-knockdown significantly attenuated the viability of NSCLC cells via promoting cell apoptosis. In addition, the migration and invasion ability of NSCLC cells was also decreased following transfection of cells with LINC00152 siRNA. Furthermore, miR-16-5p inhibitor or BCLCL2-overexpression reversed LINC00152 siRNA-induced NSCLC cell growth inhibition. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of the present study demonstrated that LINC00152-silencing suppressed NSCLC tumorigenesis via regulating the miR-16-5p/BCL2L2 axis. Therefore, linc00152 has the potential as a molecular marker and may be a potential target for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer.