A FOXM1 related long non-coding RNA contributes to gastric cancer cell migration

Long non-coding RNAs (LncRNAs) have been reported that play important roles in the progression and metastasis of some carcinomas. In the present study, we identified a new LncRNA, FRLnc1, from a microarray analysis in which those LncRNAs were regulated by FOXM1, an oncogene widely studied in most malignancies. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) results in gastric cancer cell lines indicated FRLnc1 expression is positively correlated with FOXM1 level, supporting the microarray data. Furthermore, the RNA level of FRLnc1 is upregulated in 49% (20/41) of cancer samples compared with neighboring non-cancerous stomach tissues. The in vitro functional analyses demonstrated that FRLnc1 knockdown by RNA interference suppressed cell migration in MGC803 and AGS cells, whereas FRLnc1 overexpression promoted cell migration in BGC823 and SGC7901 cells. Moreover, FRLnc1 could enhance the distant metastasis of SGC7901 cells by tail vein injection approach in mice. We also identified TGFβ1 and Twist as the downstream effectors of FRLnc1 in the regulation of cell migration by qRT-PCR analysis. Taken together, our findings suggest that FRLnc1 is involved in gastric cancer cell migration and for the first time set up the link between FOXM1 and LncRNA in cancer.