Long non-coding RNA HULC regulates growth and metastasis of human glioma cells via induction of apoptosis and inhibits cell migration and invasion

IntroductionThe long non-coding RNA HULC has been shown to be involved in the development of several human cancers. The present study was undertaken to investigate the regulatory role of lncRNA-HULC in growth and metastasis of human glioma.Material and methodsThe gene expression of lncRNA-HULC was estimated from the clinical glioma tissues and cell lines using RT-PCR. The proliferation of transfected cancer cells was determined with the help of cell counting kit-8 (CCK8). DAPI staining and dual annexin V-FITC/PI staining procedures were used for inferring the apoptosis of transfected cancer cells. Scratch-heal and transwell chamber assays were employed for the determination of migration and invasion of transfected cells. The expression of proteins of interest was studied by western blotting technique.ResultsThe results showed that lncRNA-HULC exhibits significantly (p < 0.05) higher expression in glioma tissues and cancer cells. The knockdown of lncRNA-HULC led to a marked decline in the proliferation of glioma cells through apoptotic induction which was accompanied by upregulation of Bax and downregulation of Bcl-2. Moreover, knockdown of lncRNA-HULC significantly (p < 0.05) suppressed the migration and invasion of cancer cells in vitro. The western blot analysis showed that lncRNA-HULC exerted its effects via modulation of the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway.ConclusionsThe study revealed the possibility of targeting the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway in glioma through transcriptional knockdown of lncRNA-HULC, which might be utilized for therapeutic purposes against human glioma.