Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 2, 2026

Induction of Mesenchymal-Epithelial Transitions in Sarcoma Cells
Published on: April 7, 2017
Long non-coding RNA ZEB1-AS1 promotes cell invasion and epithelial to mesenchymal transition through inducing ZEB1
Rongjie Cheng1, Nan Li2, Shuyan Yang1
1Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, The Fourth Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin City, Heilongjiang Province, People's Republic of China, uvyajb4@163.com.
Background:
Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play important roles in cancer initiation and development. The purpose of the present study was to determine the functions and mechanisms of lncRNA ZEB1-AS1 in human cervical cancer (CC).
Methods:
A total of 106 pairs of CC tissues and adjacent normal epithelial tissues were collected from CC patients who underwent resection. Three human CC cell lines (HeLa, C33A and SiHa) and a normal cervical cell line Crl-2614 and were transfected with human ZEB1-AS1 cDNA, or empty vector as the control. Then, cells were transfected with ZEB1-AS1-specific small interfering RNA (si-ZEB1-AS1), ZEB1-specific siRNA (si-ZEB1) or negative siRNA control (si-NC). The transfection efficiency was confirmed by RT-qPCR analysis. qPCR was applied to determine the qualification of RNA. Cell proliferation was investigated by MTT assay. The apoptosis rate of cells was detected by flow cytometer. Cell invasion was detected by transwell assay. Western blot was applied to determine the expression of proteins. CC xenografts in 12 male BALB/c athymic nude mice were established. And the tumor volumes were measured by vernier caliper.
Results:
We found that ZEB1-AS1 expression was remarkably increased in human CC tissue samples and cell lines, and its expression levels were closely associated with poor prognosis of CC patients. Moreover, we found that knockdown of ZEB1-AS1 inhibited the proliferation, migration, invasion and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of CC cells in vitro and suppressed CC xenograft tumor growth in vivo. Mechanistically, we found that knockdown of ZEB1-AS1 significantly inhibited ZEB1 expression, and knockdown of ZEB1 could rescue the effects of ZEB1-AS1 overexpression in CC cells.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, our findings indicated that ZEB1-AS1 serves an oncogenic role in CC, which might become a potential prognostic indicator and therapeutic target in CC.
Related Concept Videos
lncRNA - Long Non-coding RNAs
The Eukaryotic Promoter Region
What is Gene Expression?
Gene expression is the process in which DNA directs the synthesis of functional products, that is, proteins. Cells can regulate gene expression at various stages. It allows organisms to generate different cell types and enables cells to adapt to internal and external factors.
Genetic Information Flows from DNA to RNA to Protein
A gene is a stretch of DNA that serves as the blueprint for functional RNAs and proteins. Since DNA is made up of nucleotides and proteins consist of amino...
Chromatin Position Affects Gene Expression
Topologically Associated Domains (TADs)
The 3-dimensional positioning of chromatin in the nucleus influences the...
Cooperative Allosteric Transitions
Phase Transitions

