Long noncoding RNA LINC00961 inhibited cell proliferation and invasion through regulating the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway in tongue squamous cell carcinoma.

Tongue squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC) is the most frequent style of oral squamous cell carcinoma. However, the molecular mechanisms and function of LINC00961 in the TSCC progression remain unknown. In this study, we proved that LINC00961 expression was downregulated in TSCC cells (Tca8113, SCC1, SCC-4, and SCC-15) compared with normal tissue. In addition, we showed that LINC00961 expression was downregulated in TSCC samples compared with matched normal tissues. Moreover, ectopic expression of LINC00961 decreased TSCC cell growth and invasion and suppressed epithelial-mesenchymal transition in TSCC cell. Furthermore, we indicated that overexpression of LINC00961 decreased β-catenin expression. Knockdown of LINC00961 promoted cell proliferation and invasion partly via promoting the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. These results suggested that LINC00961 was downregulated in TSCC tissues and acted as a tumor suppressor gene in the development of TSCC.