lncRNA ELFN1-AS1 predicts poor prognosis and promotes tumor progression of non-small cell lung cancer by sponging miR-497.

BACKGROUND More novel biomarkers need to be discovered to improve the therapeutic efficiency of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). lncRNA ELFN1-AS1 (ELFN1-AS1) was proved to play crucial roles in numerous diseases, its intention in NSCLC remains unclear. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to investigate the function of ELFN1-AS1 and its potential mechanism in NSCLC development. METHODS A total of 117 NSCLC patients were recruited and provided paired NSCLC tissues and normal tissues. The expression of ELFN1-AS1 was analyzed by PCR. The biological function of ELFN1-AS1 was estimated by CCK8 and Transwell assay. Additionally, the potential mechanism underlying the function of ELFN1-AS1 was explored by the dual-luciferase reporter assay and western blotting. RESULTS The significant upregulation of ELFN1-AS1 was found in NSCLC tissues and cells, which was closely associated with the TNM stage, lymph node metastasis status, and overall survival of patients. The knockdown of ELFN1-AS1 was found to inhibit the cellular processes and EMT of NSCLC. Moreover, ELFN1-AS1 was found to serve as a sponge to binding with miR-497, and CCNE1 was demonstrated to be the downstream target of miR-497, which was speculated as the potential mechanism underlying the function of ELFN1-AS1. CONCLUSIONS ELFN1-AS1 acts as an independent prognostic biomarker and tumor promoter of NSCLC by sponging miR-497/CCNE1 axis.