Long non-coding RNA XIST sponges miR-34a to promotes colon cancer progression via Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway.

Little is known about the role of long non-coding RNA XIST in the development of colon cancer. The aim of the present study was to investigate the levels of XIST in colon cancer, and explore its underlying mechanism. In this study, we found XIST expression level was upregulated in colon cancer tissues and cell lines. In addition, the growth rate of cells transfected with si-XIST was significantly decreased compared to that with si-NC, which was reversed by miR-34a targeted with 3'-UTR. Moreover, miR-34a suppressed the expression of WNT1 by binding with the 3'-UTR, which interact with WNT1 to inhibit the proliferation of cells. Furthermore, miR-34a inhibitor rescued the dysregulation of WNT1, β-catenin, cyclinD1, c-Myc and MMP-7 by si-XIST. Besides, XIST knockdown inhibited tumor growth in vivo. In short, the current study suggests XIST plays as an important role in colon cancer progression targeted by miR-34a via Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, providing a novel insight for the pathogenesis and underlying therapeutic target for colon cancer.