Anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)-negative anaplastic large-cell lymphoma (ALCL) is a rare type of highly malignant, non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Currently, only a few gene rearrangements have been linked to ALK-negative ALCL progression. However, the specific molecular mechanisms underlying the growth of ALK-negative ALCL tumors remain unclear. Here, we investigated aberrantly expressed, long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in ALK-negative ALCL and assessed their potential biological function. MIR503HG (miR-503 host gene) was highly expressed in ALK-negative cell lines and was significantly upregulated in tumors in mice formed from ALK-negative ALCL cell lines. Depletion of MIR503HG suppressed tumor cell proliferation in vivo and in vitro; conversely, its overexpression enhanced tumor cell growth. MIR503HG-induced proliferation was mediated by the induction of microRNA-503 (miR-503) and suppression of Smurf2, resulting in stabilization of the tumor growth factor-β receptor (TGFBR) and enhanced tumor cell growth. Collectively, these findings support a potential role for MIR503HG in cancer cell proliferation through the miR-503/Smurf2/TGFBR axis and indicate that MIR503HG is a potential marker in ALK-negative ALCL.
Keywords: ALK-negative ALCL; MIR503HG; proliferation.