LncRNA MEG3 Suppresses Proliferation and Metastasis of Pancreatic Cancer Cells via Regulating miR-543/PTEN Axis

Objective To investigate the mechanism of lncRNA MEG3 (MEG3) modulating the proliferation and metastasis of pancreatic cancer cells via regulating miR-543/PTEN axis.

Methods qRT-PCR was applied to detect the expression of MEG3 in pancreatic cancer tissues and cell lines. The effect of MEG3 overexpression on the proliferation, invasion and epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) of PANC-1 cells were determined by CCK-8, Transwell assay and Western blot, respectively. The interaction between MEG3, miR-543 and PTEN were verified by dual-luciferase reporter gene assay. Furthermore, we investigated the effect of MEG3 on proliferation, invasion and EMT of PANC-1 cells through regulating miR-543/PTEN axis.

Results MEG3 expression was down-regulated in pancreatic cancer tissues and cell lines. Meanwhile, the overexpression of MEG3 inhibited the proliferation, invasion and EMT of PANC-1 cells in vitro. MEG3 suppressed the proliferation, invasion and EMT of PANC-1 cells via decreasing the inhibitory effect of miR-543 on PTEN in vitro.

Conclusion MEG3 inhibits the proliferation, invasion and EMT of PANC-1 cells by regulating miR-543/PTEN axis, which may provide potential molecular targets for early diagnosis and treatment of pancreatic cancer.