LINC00460 Promotes Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma Progression Through Stabilizing ELAVL1 Protein

Long intergenic noncoding ribonucleic acid (lncRNA) 460 is reportedly associated with carcinogenesis and progression in various types of cancer. However, the mechanisms underlying its action in cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC) remain unclear. LINC00460 mRNA expression was analysed using data from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) databases. Cell growth, migration, and invasion were evaluated using Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8), 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EdU), transwell migration and invasion assays after inducing LINC00460 knockdown. A xenograft tumour model was used to determine the effects of LINC00460 on tumour growth and metastasis in vivo. To examine the interaction between LINC00460 and ELAVL1, RNA pulldown and RNA immunoprecipitation assays were performed. LINC00460 was found to be significantly upregulated in CSCC tissues and cell lines. Functionally, LINC00460 knockdown inhibited cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in vitro. Consistent with this, when LINC00460 expression decreased, CSCC tumorigenesis and metastasis in vivo were inhibited. Mechanistically, LINC00460 binds to embryonic lethal abnormal vision like RNA binding protein 1 (ELAVL1) and enhances its stability by inhibiting the β-transducin repeats-containing protein (β-TrCP)-mediated ubiquitination of ELAVL1. Moreover, the effect of LINC00460 silencing on the proliferation, migration, and invasion of CSCC cells could be reversed by overexpressing ELAVL1. Our findings demonstrated that LINC00460 plays a critical role in regulating ELAVL1 function. This highlights the potential targets for the clinical diagnosis and treatment of CSCC.