Interaction between LncRNA-ROR and miR-145 contributes to epithelial-mesenchymal transition of ovarian cancer cells

Emerging evidence has indicated that long noncoding RNAs (LncRNAs) play critical roles in tumor development. LncRNA-regulator of reprogramming (ROR) could enhance the malignance of numerous tumors through promoting cell reprogramming and the chemoresistance of several cancers. Nevertheless, the detailed molecular mechanisms of LncRNA-ROR in ovarian cancer are not well elucidated. In our study, we demonstrated that LncRNA-ROR was high expression in ovarian cancer tissues than in normal ovarian tissues, and LncRNA-ROR level was positively associated with clinical stages and the differentiation grades of malignant cells. Functionally, LncRNA-ROR could induce epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), and regulated ovarian cancer cell migration and invasion by decreasing the expression of tumor suppressive miR-145 and its target gene FLNB. Moreover, the binding site for miR-145 within LncRNA-ROR contributed to the reciprocal negative regulation of LncRNA-ROR and miR-145. Taken together, LncRNA-ROR promoted EMT by the miR-145/FLNB regulatory axis in ovarian cancer, providing a potential therapeutic target for ovarian cancer.