Long noncoding RNA LINC01296 plays an oncogenic role in colorectal cancer by suppressing p15 expression

To examine the role of the long noncoding RNA LINC01296 in colorectal carcinoma (CRC) and to explore the underlying mechanism.

We detected LINC01296 expression levels in a cohort of 51 paired CRC and normal tissues. We also assessed the effects of LINC01296 on cell proliferation and apoptosis in CRC cells in vitro, and measured its effect on tumor growth in an in vivo mouse model. We identified the potential downstream targets of LINC01296 and assessed its regulatory effects.

Expression levels of LINC01296 were elevated in 37/51 CRC tissues compared with the corresponding normal tissues and were significantly associated with tumor stage, lymph node metastasis, and distant metastasis. Knockdown of LINC01296 using antisense oligonucleotides inhibited cell proliferation and promoted apoptosis of colon cancer cells in vitro and inhibited tumor growth in vivo. Knockdown of LINC01296 also significantly increased the gene expression of p15 in colon cancer cells. LINC01296-specific suppression of p15 was validated by the interaction between enhancer of zeste homolog 2 and LINC01296.

Overexpression of LINC01296 suppressed the expression of p15 leading to CRC carcinogenesis. These findings may provide the basis for novel future CRC-targeted therapies.