LSINCT5 activates Wnt/β-catenin signaling by interacting with NCYM to promote bladder cancer progression.

Accumulating evidence has indicated that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are critically involved in tumor progression. In current study, we reported a novel lncRNA signature correlated with bladder cancer development. Particularly, the lncRNA long stress-induced noncoding transcript 5 (LSINCT5) is significantly upregulated in human bladder cancer cell lines and tumor specimens. Meanwhile, high LSINCT5 expression correlates with poor prognosis, enhances tumor sphere formation and invasion in vitro. In vivo xenograft tumor growth is also elevated by LSINCT5 overexpression. Mechanistic investigations showed that LSINCT5 could physically interact with NCYM, a de novo gene product from the MYCN cis-antisense RNA and inhibit GSK3β activity leading to enhanced Wnt/β-catenin signaling activation and epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT). Taken together, our findings have created a novel LSINCT5 mediated process which facilitates bladder cancer progression and may provide a potential target for therapeutic intervention.