LncRNA PVT1 predicts prognosis and regulates tumor growth in prostate cancer

Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) plasmacytoma variant translocation 1(PVT1) was aberrantly expressed in various cancers and is associated with tumor prognosis. Here, we aim to investigate its function in prostate cancer. Small interfering RNA against PVT1 was transfected into prostate cancer cell lines and cell growth and apoptosis were analyzed. Our results showed that PVT1 was overexpressed in prostate cancer tissues and cells. Higher levels of PVT1 indicated poorer overall survival and disease-free survival. A significant association was found between PVT1 expression and tumor stage. Besides, PVT1 knockdown significantly inhibited prostate cancer growth in vivo and in vitro and promoted cell apoptosis. PVT1 knockdown also significantly upregulated the expression of cleaved caspase-3 and cleaved caspase-9, but downregulated the expression of c-Myc in prostate cancer cell lines. Our results suggest that PVT1 played an oncogenic role in prostate cancer and could be used as a potential biomarker for diagnosis of prostate cancer.