lncRNA RP5-916L7.2 correlates with advanced tumor stage, and promotes cells proliferation while inhibits cells apoptosis through targeting miR-328 and miR-939 in tongue squamous cell carcinoma

Background: This study aimed to investigate the correlation of lncRNA RP5-916L7.2 with tumor features of tongue squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC), and its effect on cells proliferation and apoptosis as well as its target miRNAs in TSCC cells. Methods: 30 TSCC patients underwent surgery were consecutively enrolled, tumor tissue and paired adjacent tissue were obtained for lncRNAs determination. Blank mimic (NC( + )), lncRNA RP5-916L7.2 mimic (RP5916L7.2( + )), blank inhibitor (NC( - )), lncRNA RP5-916L7.2 inhibitor (RP5-916L7.2( - )), lncRNA RP5-916L7.2 inhibitor/miR-328-5p inhibitor (RP5-916L7.2( - )/miR-328( - )) and lncRNA RP5-916L7.2 inhibitor/miR-9395p inhibitor (RP5-916L7.2( - )/miR-939( - )) plasmids were transfected into Tca-8113 cells. qPCR assay, CCK-8 assay, AV/PI assay were performed to detect the miRNA/lncRNA expression, cells proliferation and cells apoptosis, respectively. Results: lncRNA RP5-916L7.2 was increased in tumor tissue compared with paired adjacent tissue, and correlated with higher T stage, N stage as well as TNM stage in TSCC patients. In vitro experiments revealed that lncRNA RP5-916L7.2 promoted cells proliferation and repressed cells apoptosis in Tca-8113 cells. Subsequently, we selected top five potential target miRNAs of lncRNA RP5-916L7.2, and found that lncRNA RP5-916L7.2 reversely regulated the levels of miR-328-5p and miR-939-5p in Tca-8113 cells. Thus, we conducted rescue experiments, which showed that lncRNA RP5-916L7.2 enhanced cells proliferation and inhibited cells apoptosis through targeting miR-328-5p and miR-939-5p in Tca-8113 cells. Conclusions: lncRNA RP5-916L7.2 was up regulated in tumor tissue and positively correlated with tumor stage, and promoted cells proliferation while inhibited cells apoptosis by targeting miR-328-5p and miR-939-5p in TSCC.