Aberrant expression of long non‑coding RNA (lncRNA) plays an important role in malignant progression of colon cancer and has become a new therapeutic target. In the present study, it was found that the expression of a novel lncRNA 495810 was significantly upregulated in colon cancer and correlated with poor prognosis in patients with colorectal cancer. The highly expressed lncRNA 495810 promoted the proliferation and inhibited apoptosis of CRC cells. Furthermore, the results of gene enrichment analysis indicated that 495810‑targeted genes were enriched in the glycolysis pathway and overexpression of 495810 enhanced aerobic glycolysis in colon cancer cells. More importantly, the expression of lncRNA 495810 was positively correlated with the glycolytic rate‑limiting enzyme pyruvate kinase isozyme M2 (PKM2). Notably, the data suggested that lncRNA 495810 physically interacted with PKM2 protein and enhanced PKM2 protein stability via the ubiquitin‑proteasome pathway. The present findings suggested that lncRNA 495810, a glycolysis‑related oncogenic lncRNA, is a potential biomarker for predicting prognosis and a therapeutic target for colon cancer.
Keywords: aerobic glycolysis; colorectal cancer; long non‑coding RNA 495810; pyruvate kinase isozyme M2.