Long non-coding RNA UCA1 exerts growth modulation by miR-15a in human thyroid cancer TPC-1 cells

Thyroid cancer is widely diagnosed as malignancy in endocrine system. This study attempted to validate UCA1 possessed modulatory function on cell proliferation and epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) in human thyroid cancer cell line TPC-1. Ectopic expression of UCA1 was induced in TPC-1 cells by transfection. CCK-8 assays were employed to value cell viability. Cell apoptosis analysis was conducted through flow cytometry. We found that overexpressed UCA1 strongly promoted cell proliferation. However, the knockdown of UCA1 suppressed cell proliferation and induced obvious cell apoptosis. Besides, cell EMT was promoted by overexpressed UCA1 and was inhibited by the knockdown of UCA1. Further study revealed that miR-15a level in TPC-1 cells was suppressed by overexpressed UCA1. Simultaneous overexpression of UCA1 and miR-15a partly alleviated UCA1-induced growth, identifying that miR-15a was a possible target of UCA1. At last, the Hippo and JNK signal pathways were activated by overexpressed UCA1 but were then weakened by the adding of miR-15a. In conclusion, our study revealed UCA1/miR-15a axis implicated in thyroid cancer cells EMT, exposing a novel mechanism of thyroid cancer progression.