LncRNA XIST Inhibits Gastric Cancer Progression Through the Wnt Pathway by Regulating the miR-30a-5p/SOX9 Axis

Abstract

We aimed to investigate the impact of XIST on the pathogenesis of gastric cancer (GC). We used quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) to determine the expression levels of XIST, SOX9, and miR-30a-5p in GC cells. Western blot assay was used to measure the protein levels of SOX9, β-catenin, and c-Myc. We also performed MTT and transwell assays to assess proliferation, apoptosis, and invasion. Dual-luciferase reporter assays and RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) assays were used to confirm the interaction between miR-30a-5p and XIST or SOX9. We found that GC tumor cells express high levels of XIST and SOX9, which promote cell proliferation, invasion, and resistance to apoptosis. Specifically, we observed that XIST acts as a sponge for miR-30a-5p in GC cell line SGC-7901, while miR-30a-5p targets SOX9. SOX9 expression is regulated by XIST via miR-30a-5p acting as a competitive endogenous RNA. Furthermore, we identified a miR-30a-5p/SOX9 axis that modulates the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. In conclusion, our study demonstrates that LncXIST interacts with miR-30a-5p as a competitive endogenous RNA to promote GC cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and inhibition of apoptosis through the regulation of SOX9 expression.