LncRNA MAFG-AS1 Promotes Lung Adenocarcinoma Cell Migration and Invasion by Targeting miR-3196 and Regulating SOX12 Expression.

Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) patients exhibit poor prognosis, primarily due to metastasis. Emerging studies have demonstrated that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play critical roles in cancer progression and metastasis besides their physiological function. Here, we investigated the potential role of lncRNA MAF BZIP Transcription Factor G Antisense RNA 1 (MAFG-AS1) in LUAD metastasis by analyzing its expression in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) LUAD database, and its function in LUAD using in vitro and in vivo experiments. We performed bioinformatics analysis, western blotting, dual-luciferase reporter gene assay, RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP), and rescue assays to reveal the molecular mechanisms underlying MAFG-AS1 function. We observed augmented expression of MAFG-AS1 in LUAD tissues compared with normal adjacent tissues, and its association with poor prognosis. Furthermore, MAFG-AS1 overexpression promoted LUAD cell migration, proliferation, invasion, and epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT). Besides, MAFG-AS1 also targeted miR-3196 directly by acting as an endogenous sponge, thereby rescuing the inhibition of SOX12, a target of miR-3196. Thus, the rescue assays demonstrated that MAFG-AS1 promotes cell migration, invasion, and EMT by modulating the miR-3196/SOX12 pathway. In conclusion, our findings suggest that MAFG-AS1/miR-3196/SOX12 axis regulates LUAD progression and is a potential therapeutic target for LUAD.