LncRNA LOXL1-AS1 facilitates the tumorigenesis and stemness of gastric carcinoma via regulation of miR-708-5p/USF1 pathway

Objectives As one of the most life-threatening malignancies, gastric cancer is the third contributor of cancer mortalities globally. Increasing studies have proven the regulatory roles of lncRNAs in the development of diverse malignant tumours. But little is known about its function and molecular mechanism in gastric carcinoma. Materials and methods RT-qPCR was performed to measure the expression pattern of LOXL1-AS1 in gastric cancer. To ascertain its definite role, CCK-8, EdU, Western blot, transwell and sphere formation assays were adopted. RNA pull-down, RIP, ChIP and luciferase reporter assays were carried out to investigate the molecular mechanism of LOXL1-AS1 in gastric carcinoma. Results LOXL1-AS1 was highly expressed in tissues and cells of gastric cancer. The upregulation of LOXL1-AS1 predicted poor prognosis in gastric carcinoma. Our findings demonstrated that LOXL1-AS1 accelerated the deterioration of gastric cancer by inducing cell proliferation, migration, EMT and stemness. Moreover, the expression of USF1 in gastric cancer was higher than in normal control and LOXL1-AS1 negatively modulated USF1. Functionally, LOXL1-AS1 acted as a ceRNA to upregulate USF1 via sponging miR-708-5p. Besides, we confirmed USF1 promoted the transcription of stemness marker SOX2. Rescue experiments testified the stimulative role of LOXL1-AS1/miR-708-5p/USF1 pathway in gastric cancer progression. It was also validated that LOXL1-AS1 facilitated cell growth of gastric carcinoma in vivo. Conclusions Our study unravelled that LOXL1-AS1/miR-708-5p/USF1 pathway contributed to the development of gastric cancer.