The lncRNA n340790 accelerates carcinogenesis of thyroid cancer by regulating miR-1254.

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been recently reported to be dysregulated and play a critical role in the progression of thyroid cancer. Here, we found that the lncRNA n340790 was highly expressed in human thyroid cancer tissues and was strongly correlated with the clinical characteristics of patients. There was a good prognostic value of n340790 for thyroid cancer. In vitro overexpression of n340790 promoted the development of thyroid cancer, while silencing n340790 inhibited this process. Additionally, n340790 accelerated the growth of thyroid cancer tumor in vivo. Furthermore, we discovered that n340790 could act as an endogenous sponge by directly binding to miR-1254 and downregulating miR-1254 expression. In addition, miR-1254 could inhibit the stimulatory effect of n340790 on the growth and invasion of thyroid cancer cells. In conclusion, n340790 promoted the development process of malignant thyroid cancer by regulating miR-1254, and targeting n340790 may be a promising strategy as a thyroid cancer therapy.