Long noncoding RNA‑ATB promotes cell proliferation, migration and invasion in gastric cancer

Long noncoding RNA (lncRNA)‑activated by transforming growth factor (TGF)-β (lncRNA-ATB) was recognized as an unfavorable prognostic factor in various cancers; however, its regulatory role in gastric cancer (GC) remains elusive. The present study aimed to measure lncRNA‑ATB expression in GC and to explore its involvement in GC progression. lncRNA‑ATB expression levels were measured in 40 pairs of GC tissues and their normal adjacent tissues, as well as in 5 GC cell lines and a normal gastric mucosal cell line by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Knockdown experiments were performed to explore the effect of lncRNA‑ATB on the cell proliferation, invasion and migration. The results demonstrated that lncRNA‑ATB expression levels in GC tissues and GC cell lines were significantly higher than in the adjacent normal tissues and normal gastric mucosal cells. Further analysis of the correlation between the clinicopathological features and lncRNA‑ATB expression indicated that higher expression of lncRNA‑ATB was correlated with increased invasion depth, more distant metastasis and advanced tumor‑node‑metastasis stage. In addition, downregulated lncRNA‑ATB expression suppressed cellular proliferation, invasion and migration of GC cells. In conclusion, these data suggested that lncRNA‑ATB may serve as a clinical outcome predictor and potential therapeutic target in GC.