Long noncoding RNA ITGB1 promotes migration and invasion of clear cell renal cell carcinoma by downregulating Mcl-1

Researchers have discovered the important role of long noncoding RNA (lncRNAs) in tumorigenesis recently. In this work, we aimed to explore whether lncRNA linc-ITGB1 affected the development of clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC), and to elucidate the possible underlying mechanism.

Linc-ITGB1 expression in both ccRCC cells and tissue samples was detected by Real Time-quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-qPCR). Moreover, the association between linc-ITGB1 expression level and patients' disease-free survival rate was explored. Then, wound healing and transwell assays were conducted. Furthermore, the underlying mechanism was explored through RT-qPCR and Western blot assay.

Linc-ITGB1 expression level in ccRCC samples was markedly higher than that of the adjacent ones. The expression of linc-ITGB1 was closely related to the disease-free survival time of ccRCC patients. Moreover, the migration and invasion of ccRCC cells were remarkably enhanced after linc-ITGB1 upregulation in vitro. In addition, the mRNA and protein expression of Mcl-1 were significantly downregulated after linc-ITGB1 overexpression. Furthermore, the expression level of Mcl-1 was negatively correlated with the linc-ITGB1 expression in ccRCC tissues.

Our findings suggested that linc-ITGB1 could enhance ccRCC cell migration and invasion via downregulating Mcl-1. In addition, linc-ITGB1 might be a potential therapeutic target for ccRCC.