Identification and functional analysis of LncRNA-XIST ceRNA network in prostate cancer

BACKGROUND: Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play a functional role in the progression of prostate cancer (PCa). However, the molecular mechanism, expression, or function of the lncRNA XIST in PCa is not well understood. Therefore, the major goal of this study was to investigate the involvement of XIST in PCa. METHODS: We used the The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database to conduct a pan-cancer bioinformatics analysis of XIST and identified that it may play an important role in prostate cancer. This finding was verified using clinical samples and in vitro assays. Finally, we constructed an XIST ceRNA network for prostate cancer. RESULTS: Our in vitro and in vivo results showed that the XIST gene expression level was higher in PCa derived cells and tissues compared to that in normal cells and tissues. XIST gene expression level was positively correlated with the invasion and proliferation of tumour cells. Furthermore, the downregulation of XIST inhibited the growth of subcutaneous 22Rv1 xenografts in nude mice. In addition, we constructed a XIST ceRNA network. Consistent with previous studies, we found that the role of XIST is mediated through via sponges, such as miRNA -96-5p, miRNA -153-3p, and miRNA-182-5p. CONCLUSION: High expression level of XIST can lead to enhanced carcinogenicity in PCa. Therefore, XIST has the potential to be used as a prognostic marker and may become a new research focus for the treatment of PCa. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12885-022-10007-6.