KCNMA1-AS1 attenuates apoptosis of epithelial ovarian cancer cells and serves as a risk factor for poor prognosis of epithelial ovarian cancer

S.-Y. Ma, P. Wei, F. Qu

Clinical Experimental Teaching Center/Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The First Affiliated Hospital/School of General Medicine of Xi’an Medical Universi-ty Xi’an, China. Qufeng327968@126.com

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• Oncology

OBJECTIVE: To explore the role of KCNMA1-AS1 in epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) and its underlying mechanism.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: We first screened out the differentially expressed lncRNAs (KCNMA1-AS1) in the GEO (gene expression omnibus) database. The relationship between KCNMA1-AS1 expression and prognosis of EOC with different pathological types was analyzed by meta-analysis. Subsequently, KCNMA1-AS1 expressions in EOC tissues and normal ovarian tissues were detected by quantitative Real Time-Polymerase Chain Reaction (qRT-PCR). The correlation between KCNMA1-AS1 level with progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) of EOC was analyzed. Furthermore, proliferation and migration of EOC cells transfected with the corresponding plasmids were analyzed by Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) and transwell assay, respectively. Apoptosis-related genes in EOC cells were detected by Western blot.

RESULTS: KCNMA1-AS1 was a risk factor for prognosis in high-grade, advanced and serous EOC. Upregulated KCNMA1-AS1 was found in EOC tissues than that of normal tissues, showing the diagnostic potential of KCNMA1-AS1 in EOC. Statistical analysis indicated that KCNMA1-AS1 was not correlated with the DFS, OS, age, histological type, lymph node metastasis and recurrence, but related to FIGO stage of EOC patients. For in vitro experiments, the proliferation and migration of were enhanced, and apoptosis of HO8910 cells overexpressing KCNMA1-AS1 was inhibited. Furthermore, elevated expressions of Caspase-3 and Caspase-9, as well as reduced expression of Bcl-xL, were observed after KCNMA1-AS1 knockdown in EOC cells.

CONCLUSIONS: KCNMA1-AS1 is overexpressed in EOC and negatively correlated with its prognosis. KCNMA1-AS1 participates in the occurrence and development of EOC by promoting proliferation, migration and inhibiting apoptosis of ovarian cancer cells via apoptosis pathway.

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