Knockdown of long noncoding RNA SPRY4-IT1 suppresses glioma cell proliferation, metastasis and epithelial-mesenchymal transition.

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), a class of ribonucleic molecules, participate in various cellular processes. They are highly expressed in several types of cancer and their expression was related to pathophysiological characteristics of tumor growth, therefore, they can be considered as a promising diagnostic tool and a convenient prognostic biomarker. SPRY4-IT1, belonging to a group of intron-retained lncRNAs, was reported to affect tumor development of many types of cancer. However, the expression and the role of SPRY4-IT1 in glioma are still unclear. Therefore, in this study, we examined for the first time the expression and role of SPRY4-IT1 in glioma cells. The results of our study showed that SPRY4-IT1 was up-regulated in human glioma tissues and cell lines. Knockdown of SPRY4-IT1 could inhibit glioma cell growth and migration. Moreover, knockdown of SPRY4-IT1 could inhibit epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) phenotype in glioma cells. Based on these findings, SPRY4-IT1 may be used as a new target for diagnosis and treatment of glioma.