Long non-coding RNA GAS5 inhibits tumorigenesis via miR-137 in melanoma

Melanoma is the leading cause of death in patients with skin cancer. In the present study, we aimed to prove the functions and molecular mechanisms of lncRNA-GAS5 in melanoma. Herein, we found that the expression of GAS5 was down-regulated in melanoma tissues compared to adjacent normal tissues. GAS5 was significantly associated with distal metastasis and TNM stage in melanoma. Furthermore, we found that GAS5 suppressed melanoma cell proliferation, migration and invasion. Then, we found thatmiR-137 was decreased in melanoma tissues compared to adjacent normal tissues and was correlated with GAS5. Using a luciferase reporter gene assay, we also demonstrated that GAS5 positively regulated miR-137 transcription. Finally, we suggested that GAS5 inhibited the growth of melanoma through miR-137 in vivo. Therefore, our research demonstrated that the GAS5/miR-137 axis could be a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of melanoma.