Long noncoding RNA UCID sponges miR‑152‑3p to promote colorectal cancer cell migration and invasion via the Wnt/β‑catenin signaling pathway.

Research has shown that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play significant roles in colorectal cancer (CRC). However, the role of lnc‑UCID (lncRNA upregulating CDK6 by interacting with DHX9) in CRC remains largely unknown. In the present study, analyses revealed that lnc‑UCID was markedly upregulated in CRC compared with that in normal specimens. Functional experiments showed that the depletion of lnc‑UCID inhibited CRC cell invasion and migration significantly, while overexpression of lnc‑UCID had the opposite effect. A candidate target of lnc‑UCID, microRNA miR‑152‑3p, was identified using bioinformatic analysis. Moreover, in CRC tissue, we noted an inverse correlation between miR‑152‑3p and lnc‑UCID expression levels. Overexpression and knockdown experiments revealed opposing roles for miR‑152‑3p and lnc‑UCID, suggesting that lnc‑UCID negatively regulates miR‑152‑3p. Luciferase reporter assays demonstrated that miR‑152‑3p directly targets lnc‑UCID. The results suggest that lnc‑UCID acts as an endogenous miRNA sponge, competing for miR‑152‑3p binding and thereby regulating the miRNA's targets. Overall, we propose that the lnc‑UCID/miR‑152‑3p/Wnt/β‑catenin signaling axis represents a novel mechanism that explains the migration and invasion of CRC.