Long noncoding RNA DQ786243 interacts with miR-506 and promotes progression of ovarian cancer through targeting cAMP responsive element binding protein 1

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been reported to be abnormally expressed in several cancers and associated with the proliferation of cancer cells. The objective of this study was to investigate the role and the underlying mechanisms of DQ786243 in ovarian cancer. In the current study, DQ786243 was specifically upregulated in ovarian cancer tissues and cell lines. Knockdown of DQ786243 inhibited the ability of cell migration, invasion, proliferation, colony formation and wound healing, whereas promoted cell apoptosis and induced G0/G1 cell cycle arresting. By using online tools and mechanistic analysis, we demonstrated that DQ786243 could directly bind to microRNA-506 (miR-506) and downregulate its expression. Moreover, DQ786243 reversed the inhibitory effect of miR-506 on the growth of ovarian cancer cells, which might be involved in the derepression of cAMP responsive element binding protein 1 (CREB1) expression. Further investigation into the mechanisms showed that knockdown of DQ786243 inhibited the epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) process in ovarian cancer cells. Finally, xenograft experiments further confirmed that knockdown of DQ786243 notably suppressed the proliferation and EMT process in vivo. Taken together, our study showed for the first time that DQ786243 interacted with miR-506 and promoted progression of ovarian cancer via targeting CREB1 in ovarian cancer. The results might help to probe the feasibility of lncRNA-directed therapy for this deadly disease.