Dysregulated long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are found in many types of tumors, including esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC); however, the pattern of expression and function of LINC01296 in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma are unknown. In the current study we showed that LINC01296 expression is significantly higher in ESCC tissues when compared with corresponding adjacent normal tissues. Higher LINC01296 expression was associated with lymph node metastasis, TNM stage, and worse overall survival rate in ESCC patients. Furthermore, functional assays in vitro demonstrated that knockdown of LINC01296 inhibited ESCC cell proliferation, colony formation, migration, and invasiveness. Moreover, RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) and chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assays demonstrated that LINC01296 promotes cell proliferation and invasion by epigenetic suppression of KLF2 expression via an interaction with EZH2 in ESCC cells. We also demonstrated that knockdown of LINC01296 inhibited cell growth and up-regulated KLF2 expression in vivo. These results indicate that LINC01296 acts as an oncogene and may serve as a potential target in ESCC treatment.
Keywords: EZH2; KLF2; LINC01296; Long non-coding RNA; esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.