Downregulation of LINC01426 inhibits the proliferation and migration of human pancreatic cancer cells in vivo and in vitro

BACKGROUND: We performed in vivo and in vitro experiments to observe the expression of long intergenic nonprotein coding RNA 1426 (LINC01426) in pancreatic cancer tissues and cells, investigate the impact of LINC01426 on the proliferation and migration of pancreatic cancer cells, and deduce the underlying molecular mechanism. METHODS: LINC01426 expression was measured by fluorescence-based quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in pancreatic cancer tissues and cell lines. The lentiviral vector was used to create shRNA-NC, shLINC01426#2, pcDNA-NC, and pcDNA-LINC01426 pancreatic cancer cell lines. Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8), clonogenic, and scratch tests were used to measure the effects of LINC01426 knockdown or overexpression on the migration and proliferation of pancreatic cancer cells. The expression levels of genes involved in migration (E-cadherin, N-cadherin, and vimentin) were examined by Western blotting after LINC01426 was either knocked down or overexpressed. The effect of LINC01426 knockdown on the proliferation of pancreatic cancer cells in vivo was verified in nude mice. RESULTS: LINC01426 was highly expressed in pancreatic cancer cells and tissues. Overexpression of LINC01426 might have promoted the proliferation, clonogenicity, and migration of pancreatic cancer cells, while knockdown of LINC01426 decreased these activities. In pancreatic cancer cells, knockdown of LINC01426 dramatically enhanced E-cadherin expression while lowering N-cadherin and vimentin expression, whereas overexpression of LINC01426 had the opposite effect. Knockdown of LINC01426 substantially decreased pancreatic cancer cell proliferation in an in vivo study. CONCLUSIONS: Overexpression of LINC01426 was shown to increase the migration and proliferation of pancreatic cancer cells in both in vivo and in vitro experiments. LINC01426 could be a novel predictive biomarker and source of prospective therapeutic targets for patients with pancreatic cancer.