Upregulation of long non-coding RNA LINC00152 by SP1 contributes to gallbladder cancer cell growth and tumor metastasis via PI3K/AKT pathway.

Gallbladder cancer (GBC) is one of the most lethal cancers with poor prognosis. In this study, we report that the long non-coding RNA LINC00152 is significantly upregulated in GBC tissues and cell lines. The high LINC00152 levels correlated positively with tumor status progression, lymph node invasion and TNM stage advancement. Functionally, we revealed that LINC00152 dramatically promoted cell proliferation, metastasis and inhibited apoptosis in vitro. In vivo, LINC00152 overexpression significantly promoted tumor growth. Mechanistic analyses indicated that LINC00152 could participate in the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT signaling pathway, and transcription factor specificity protein 1 (SP1) induces its overexpression. In summary, our findings suggest that LINC00152 contributes to the oncogenic potential of GBC and SP1/LINC00152/PI3K/AKT may be a potential therapeutic target for GBC.