Increased expression of SPRY4-IT1 predicts poor prognosis and promotes tumor growth and metastasis in bladder cancer.

INTRODUCTION: long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are emerging as new regulators in the cancer paradigm, the involvement of lncRNAs in urothelial carcinoma of the bladder (UCB) is just beginning to be studied. In this study, we focused on lncRNA SPRY4-IT1 and investigated its expression pattern, clinical significance, and biological function in UCB.

METHODS: SPRY4-IT1 expression in UCB tissues was examined by quantitative Real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) and its correlation with clinicopathological features and patient prognosis was later analyzed. Moreover, in vitro assays were performed to explore its role in bladder cancer progression.

RESULTS: SPRY4-IT1 expression was elevated in UCB tissues, and SPRY4-IT1 levels were highly positively correlated with histological grade, tumor stage, and lymph node metastasis and reduced overall survival. A multivariate analysis showed that SPRY4-IT1 expression is an independent prognostic factor of overall survival in patients with UCB. Additionally, the results of in vitro assays showed that the suppression of SPRY4-IT1 expression in bladder cancer cells significantly inhibit cell proliferation, migration, and invasion.

CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggested that lncRNA SPRY4-IT1 is a novel molecule involved in bladder cancer progression, which provide a potential prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target.