lncRNA ZFAS1 Promotes HMGCR mRNA Stabilization via Binding U2AF2 to Modulate Pancreatic Carcinoma Lipometabolism

Being one of the most lethal malignant tumors worldwide, pancreatic carcinoma (PC) shows strong invasiveness and high mortality. In tumorigenesis and progression, the role played by long-chain noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) cannot be ignored. This article mainly probes into the function of lncRNA ZFAS1 in PC. ZFAS1 expression in PC and normal counterparts retrieved from the Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx) project and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database was analysed by GEPIA2. Its expression profile in clinical specimens and human PC cell strains was quantified using qRT-PCR. Measurements of BxPC-3 cell multiplication and invasiveness employed CCK-8, plate clone formation test, and Transwell chamber assay. ZFAS1's impact on lipid content in BxPC-3 cells was detected. RNA pulldown and RIP assays analyzed the interaction of ZFAS1 with U2AF2 and HMGCR in BxPC-3 cells. Finally, the impacts of U2AF2 and HMGCR on the biological behavior of BxPC-3 were observed. ZFAS1 was kept at a high level in PC tissues versus the normal counterparts. ZFAS1 gene knockout remarkably suppressed PC cell multiplication and invasiveness and decreased the contents of free fatty acids, total cholesterol, triglycerides, and phospholipids. Mechanistically, ZFAS1 stabilized HMGCR mRNA through U2AF2, thus increasing HMGCR expression and promoting PC lipid accumulation. Meanwhile, reduced PC cell viability and invasiveness were observed after downregulating U2AF2 and HMGCR. As an oncogene of PC, ZFAS1 can modulate lipometabolism and stabilize HMGCR mRNA expression by binding with U2AF2 in PC, which is a candidate target for PC diagnosis and treatment.