Downregulated long non-coding RNA TCONS_00068220 upregulates apoptosis in gastric cancer cells.

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are emerging as a fundamental class of biological effect or molecules that perform pivotal functions in the regulation of the genome. With advances in bioinformatics and genomics, extensive identification and characterization of lncRNAs is now possible. They regulate cellular growth, differentiation and apoptosis. Dysregulation of lncRNAs has been associated with numerous types of human cancer. In the present study, the expression profile of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and lncRNAs in gastric cancer (GC) samples and normal tissue samples was evaluated with bioinformatics. The biological functions of the predicted lncRNA TCONS_00068220 were focused on; the DEGs co-expressed with TCONS_00068220 were enriched in cancer-associated pathways. TCONS_00068220 was demonstrated to be upregulated in GC tissues and cell lines compared with normal controls. In addition, an increased rate of apoptosis was observed in NCI-N87 cells following transfection with small interfering RNA against TCONS_00068220. These data suggest that TCONS_00068220 may be associated with the pathogenesis of GC, and it may serve as a potential therapeutic target.