Long noncoding RNA HEIH promotes the proliferation and metastasis of non-small cell lung cancer

Objectives This study is aimed to explore the functions of long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) HEIH on the proliferation as well as metastasis of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods HEIH was shown to be increased in NSCLC by a microarray study on lncRNA profiling. We detected the expression of HEIH in different human NSCLC lines and tissues by quantitative real-time PCR. After gain- and loss-of-function approaches in A549 and Calu-1 cells, 3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyl-2-H-tetrazolium bromide, thiazolyl blue tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assays and a colony formation assay were applied to test the proliferative activity of cells, and the apoptosis of cells was measured by flow cytometry. Western blot analysis was used to evaluate the protein expression, and the effects of lncRNA HEIH on cell migratory and invasive abilities of A549 and Calu-1 cells were evaluated using wound healing and transwell assays. Results In our study, we confirmed the elevated expression of HEIH in NSCLC tissues and cell lines compared with the normal ones. After constructing A549 and Calu-1 cells with altered HEIH expression by transient transfection, cell viability was found to be positively regulated by the HEIH level. Moreover, overexpression of HEIH accelerated the cell migrating rate and increased the invasive cell number according to the results of a wound healing assay and transwell assay. Conclusions HEIH could accelerate the proliferation and metastasis of NSCLC, providing a novel therapeutic target for clinical treatment.