Long Noncoding RNA MEG3 Suppresses Glioma Cell Proliferation, Migration, and Invasion by Acting as a Competing Endogenous RNA of miR-19a

• Published in: Oncology research 2017-11, Vol.25 (9), p.1471-1478
• Main Authors: Qin, Nan, Tong, Gui-Feng, Sun, Li-Wei, Xu, Xiao-Lin
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 3' Untranslated Regions; Apoptosis - genetics; Brain Neoplasms - genetics; Brain Neoplasms - metabolism; Brain Neoplasms - pathology; Cell Line, Tumor; Cell Movement - genetics; Cell Proliferation - genetics; Competing Endogenous Rna (cerna); Down-Regulation; Glioma; Glioma - genetics; Glioma - metabolism; Glioma - pathology; Humans; Long Noncoding Rnas (lncrnas); Maternally Expressed Gene 3 (meg3); MicroRNAs - biosynthesis; MicroRNAs - genetics; Mir-19a; Neoplasm Invasiveness; Phosphatase And Tensin Homolog (pten); PTEN Phosphohydrolase - genetics; RNA, Long Noncoding - biosynthesis; RNA, Long Noncoding - genetics; Transfection
• ISSN: 0965-0407; 1555-3906
• DOI: 10.3727/096504017X14886689179993

Glioma, with varying malignancy grades and histological subtypes, is the most common primary brain tumor in adults. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are non-protein-coding transcripts and have been proven to play an important role in tumorigenesis. Our study aims to elucidate the combined effect of lncRNA maternally expressed gene 3 (MEG3) and microRNA-19a (miR-19a) in human glioma U87 and U251 cell lines. Real-time PCR revealed that MEG3 was downregulated and miR-19a was upregulated in malignant glioma tissues and cell lines. Bioinformatics analyses (TargetScan, miRanda, and starBase V2.0) showed that phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) is a target of miR-19a with complementary binding sites in the 3′-UTR. As expected, luciferase results verified the putative target site and also revealed the complementary binding between miR-19a and MEG3. miR-19a represses the expression of PTEN and promotes glioma cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. However, MEG3 could directly bind to miR-19a and effectively act as a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) for miR-19a to suppress tumorigenesis. Our study is the first to demonstrate that lncRNA MEG3 suppresses glioma cell proliferation, migration, and invasion by acting as a ceRNA of miR-19a, which provides a novel insight about the pathogenesis of glioma.