LINC01635, a long non-coding RNA with a cancer/testis expression pattern, promotes lung cancer progression by sponging miR-455-5p

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been reported to play vital roles in human lung cancer. In recent years, cancer/testis (CT) lncRNAs have been characterized as a novel class of lncRNA. However, this class of lncRNA remains to be thoroughly investigated. The present study identified long intergenic non-protein coding RNA 1635 (LINC01635), which was highly expressed in testis and in a broad range of human cancer types. Next, it was confirmed that LINC01635 was upregulated significantly in samples from patients with lung cancer and in non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) cell lines. Silencing LINC01635 suppressed the proliferation and metastasis of NSCLC cells in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, it was found that LINC01635 could bind to microRNA (miRNA or miR)-455-5p and regulate the expression of a series of miR-455-5p-targeting tumor-related genes. Knockdown of miR-455-5p partially rescued the progression of lung cancer cells that was suppressed by LINC01635 silencing. Together, the current results demonstrated that LINC01635 may play important roles in NSCLC progression by targeting miR-455-5p, and that it could be a biomarker and therapeutic target for lung cancer.