Abstract:
Objective To determine the expression of long non-coding RNA DBH-AS1 in pancreatic cancer and to explore the potential molecular effects of DBH-AS1 on mediating pancreatic cancer progression.
Methods From July 2015 to December 2017, 45 patients with primary pancreatic cancer were selected from the Third Department of General Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital of Naval Medical University. Pancreatic cancer tissues and corresponding adjacent tissues were collected. The expression of DBH-AS1 in pancreatic cancer tissue was analyzed in GEPIA database. DBH-AS1 expression was detected by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Cell proliferation, migration, and invasion were detected by CCK-8, colony formation, and transwell assays, respectively. Protein levels were measured by Western blotting.
Results DBH-AS1 expression was decreased in cancerous tissues from pancreatic cancer patients (P < 0.05). Low expression of DBH-AS1 was associated with poor differentiation (P=0.038), advanced TNM stage (P=0.029), lymph node metastasis (P=0.006), and poor prognosis (shorter tumor-free survival time and overall survival time, P < 0.05). DBH-AS1 knockdown promoted the proliferation and clone formation of pancreatic cancer cells and enhanced their migration and invasion capabilities (P < 0.05). Mechanism studies revealed that DBH-AS1 inhibited mTOR pathway by decreasing AKT1 expression.
Conclusions DBH-AS1 inhibits pancreatic cancer progression via down-regulation of AKT1 expression.