Background
The mechanisms underlying the proliferation and apoptosis of glioma cells remain unelucidated. A recent study has revealed that microRNA-92b (miR-92b) inhibits apoptosis of glioma cells via downregulating DKK3. Notably, long noncoding RNA nuclear-enriched abundant transcript 1 (NEAT1) is predicted to have a possible interaction with miR-92b.
Conclusion
Our findings indicated that NEAT1 acts as a tumor suppressor in glioma cells, which provides a novel target in overcoming glioma growth.
Methods
The expression of NEAT1 was compared between glioma tissues and adjacent tissues as well as between glioma cells and normal astrocytes using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Glioma cell proliferation was determined by using the 3-(4,5-dimethythiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay, and glioma cell apoptosis was determined by using the flow cytometry.
Objective
This study aimed to identify whether NEAT1 affects glioma cell proliferation and apoptosis via regulating miR-92b.
Results
The expression of NEAT1 was low in glioma tissues and cells compared to the normal ones. Overexpression of NEAT1 inhibited proliferation and promoted apoptosis of glioma cell lines (U-87 MG and U251). The interaction between NEAT1 and miR-92b was confirmed using RNA immunoprecipitation, RNA pull-down assay, and luciferase reporter assay. Importantly, the tumor suppressor function of overexpressing NEAT1 was achieved by downregulating miR-92b and subsequently upregulating DKK3.