lncRNA SLCO4A1-AS1 promotes growth and invasion of bladder cancer through sponging miR-335-5p to upregulate OCT4.

Background: Bladder cancer (BC) is among the most frequently occurring cancer types in the urinary system. In recent years, the importance of lncRNAs in BC has been acknowledged. SLCO4A1-AS1 is an oncogene in colorectal cancer. However, the role of SLCO4A1-AS1 in BC remains unknown.

Materials and methods: The expression levels of SLCO4A1-AS1 in BC tissues were analyzed by qRT-PCR. The effects of SLCO4A1-AS1 knockdown on proliferation were determined by CCK8 assay. Transwell assay was used to evaluate the role of SLCO4A1-AS1 on migration and invasion. Furthermore, xenograft assay was utilized to test the effect of SLCO4A1-AS1 on BC growth in vivo.

Results: SLCO4A1-AS1 expression was more upregulated in BC tissues than in adjacent normal tissues. Moreover, SLCO4A1-AS1 level was positively correlated with the advanced stage and metastasis in BC. The upregulation of SLCO4A1-AS1 indicates poor prognosis in BC patients. The knockdown of SLCO4A1-AS1 downregulated the proliferation, migration, and invasion of EJ and T24 cells in vitro. In addition, the loss of SLCO4A1-AS1 prevented BC growth in vivo. Mechanistic investigation showed that SLCO4A1-AS1 was the sponge for miR-335-5p, and miR-335-5p modulated OCT4 expression.

Conclusion: High SLCO4A1-AS1 expression level was associated with the progression of BC, and SLCO4A1-AS1 promoted the malignant phenotypes of BC cells through the miR-335-5p/OCT4 axis.