LncRNA CYTOR promotes pancreatic cancer cell proliferation and migration by sponging miR-205-5p

Background/aims: Studies have found that LncRNA CYTOR is an important regulator of cancer. However, the function of lncRNA CYTOR in pancreatic cancer (PC) is unclear. This study amid to explore the regulation of lncRNA CYTOR in PC. Methods: The expression of CYTOR and miR-205-5p in PC was detected by RT-qPCR. CCK-8 assay, colony formation assay and scratch test were conducted to detect the effects of CYTOR and miR-205-5p on proliferation and migration of PC cells. Target gene prediction and screening and luciferase reporter assays were used to verify downstream target genes of CYTOR and miR-205-5p. The expression of Cyclindependent protein kinase 6 (CDK6) was detected by Western blotting. The tumor growth in mice was detected by in vivo experiments in nude mice. Results: The expression of LncRNA CYTOR was significantly elevated in PC. Knockdown of CYTOR significantly inhibited cell proliferation and migration of PC cells. In vivo animal studies showed that CYTOR promoted tumor growth. MiR-205-5p was a direct target of CYTOR, and the expression levels of miR-205-5p were significantly reduced in PC cell lines. Furthermore, co-transfection of shCYTOR with miR-205-5p inhibitor partially abolished the effect of shCYTOR on cell proliferation and migration. In addition, CYTOR was negatively correlated with the expression of miR-205-5p. CDK6 was a direct target of miR-205-5p, and miR-205-5p mimic and sh CYTOR significantly reduced the expression levels of CDK6. Conclusion: CYTOR can promote PC progression by modulating the miR-205-5p/CDK6 axis, which may be a potential therapeutic target for PC. (C) 2020 IAP and EPC. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.