The long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) prostate cancer-associated ncRNA transcript 1 (PCAT-1) has been shown to promote prostate cancer cell proliferation through c-Myc and is associated with the poor prognosis of CRC patients. In the current study, it was hypothesized that the effect of PCAT-1 on the aggressiveness of CRC cells was dependent on the function of c-Myc. Human CRC cell lines Caco-2 and HT-29 were transfected with specific PCAT-1 shRNAs, and cell migration, invasiveness, and resistance to 5-fluorouracil were measured. To elucidate the role of c-Myc in PCAT-1 function, c-Myc was overexpressed in PCAT-1-silenced CRC cells and the effect of c-Myc overexpression on the aggressiveness of PCAT-1-silenced cells was detected. The results showed that knockdown of PCAT-1 in CRC cells suppressed cell motility and invasiveness, and sensitized the cells to 5-fluorouracil, as evidenced by the reduced viability and induced apoptosis in PCAT-1-silenced cells compared to the parental cells in response to 5-fluorouracil treatment. The expression of c-Myc in PCAT-1-silenced CRC cells was down-regulated, and forced expression of c-Myc partially restored the invasiveness in PCAT-1-silenced cells. In summary, the findings outlined in the current study suggest that PCAT-1 regulates the invasiveness and drug resistance in CRC cells and that PCAT-1 may promote CRC cell invasion by modulating the expression of c-Myc.
Keywords: Colorectal cancer; Drug resistance; Invasiveness; PCAT-1; c-Myc.