LINC00473 modulates protein expression to promote ovarian cancer progression and overcome cisplatin resistance

The present study aimed to systematically investigate the biological role of the long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) LINC00473 in the pathogenesis and progression of ovarian cancer and to explore its potential as a novel therapeutic target for clinical translation. LINC00473 expression was specifically silenced in SK-OV-3 and A2780 ovarian cancer cell lines using small interfering RNA technology. Enhanced Cell Counting Kit-8 and Transwell invasion assays were performed to evaluate the regulatory effects of LINC00473 on malignant phenotypes (proliferation, migration, invasion and apoptosis) and chemosensitivity to cisplatin (CDDP). Western blotting was utilized to detect changes in the expression levels of apoptosis-related proteins [poly (adenosine diphosphate-ribose) polymerase (PARP) and caspase-3] and stemness/drug resistance-associated proteins [Sox2 and Yes-associated protein 1 (YAP1)]. Knockdown of LINC00473 significantly inhibited ovarian cancer cell proliferation (SK-OV-3, 23.1%, P<0.001; A2780, 41.5%, P<0.001) and induced apoptosis (apoptosis rate 18.0-25.2%; P<0.001), while reducing migration and invasion by 30.7-55.4% and 31.9-54.5% (both P<0.001), respectively, accompanied by pseudopodia retraction and cellular rounding. At the molecular level, LINC00473 knockdown upregulated PARP/caspase-3 expression (1.7- and 2.3-fold) and downregulated Sox2/YAP1 (0.5- and 0.6-fold), with A2780 cells exhibiting 25% higher sensitivity to intervention compared with SK-OV-3 cells. Combined with CDDP treatment, the proliferation rate of A2780 further decreased to 35.5% (P<0.001). These findings indicate that LINC00473 may promote ovarian cancer progression by suppressing apoptosis and activating oncogenic pathways (Sox2/YAP1). Furthermore, silencing LINC00473 synergistically enhanced CDDP efficacy, particularly in A2780 cells exhibiting heightened sensitivity. These findings suggest that targeting LINC00473 may represent a novel therapeutic strategy for ovarian cancer; however further exploration of its molecular network and in vivo validation are warranted in the future.