Long non-coding XIAP-AS1 regulates cell proliferation, invasion and cell cycle in colon cancer.

Colon cancer is one of the most commonly diagnosed and deadly cancers worldwide. Further understanding of the biological mechanisms is important for exploring the molecular biomarkers and therapeutic targets of this disease. Dysregulation of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) has been reported to be associated with the development and progression of various cancers. XIAP-AS1 is a novel lncRNA, which can regulate apoptosis in gastric cancer cells. However, the role of XIAP-AS1 in colorectal cancer (CRC) remains unclear. In this study, we found that XIAP-AS1 expression was significantly increased in CRC tissues and its expression showed a positive correlation with TNM stage and cumulative survival rate of CRC. To investigate whether XIAP-AS1 regulates the progression of CRC, we knocked down its expression in several CRC cell lines. CCK-8 assays showed that XIAP-AS1 knockdown remarkably suppressed CRC cell growth and arrested the cell cycle at the G0/G1 phase (flow cytometric analysis). Furthermore, XIAP-AS1 knockdown also remarkably blocked cell invasion of colon cancer cells by regulating the expression of EMT markers, such as E-cadherin, ZO-1, vimentin, and N-cadherin. Importantly, we found that XIAP-AS1 knockdown significantly reduced STAT3 phosphorylation. Overall, this study suggests that lncRNA XIAP-AS1 might serve as a potential oncogene for colon cancer.