Long noncoding RNA PVT1 enhances the viability and invasion of papillary thyroid carcinoma cells by functioning as ceRNA of microRNA-30a through mediating expression of insulin like growth factor 1 receptor.

Objective: Invasion and metastasis of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) significantly affects prognosis and quality of life of patients. Herein, we explored the binding relationship of long noncoding RNA PVT1 as ceRNA to microRNA-30a (miR-30a), and their effect on the development of PTC through regulating insulin like growth factor 1 receptor (IGF1R).

Methods: PTC and adjacent normal tissues were collected, where the qRT-PCR and western blot assay were employed to evaluate the expression levels of PVT1, miR-30a and IGF1R. The correlation between PVT1 expression and clinicopathological characteristics of PTC patients was observed. PTC cell lines with the most/least significant difference from normal thyroid cells were selected and treated with siRNA PVT1 or overexpression PVT1 plasmids, miR-30a mimics or miR-30a inhibitors. Nucleus and cytoplasm segmentation was used to identify subcellular fractionation of PVT1. The binding relationship of PVT1 to miR-30a and the targeting relationship of miR-30a to IGF1R were confirmed by using bioinformatic prediction program, dual-luciferase reporter gene assay and RNA-pull down. Cell viability, cell cycle and apoptosis, invasion and migration capacities were assessed by MTT, flow cytometry, Transwell assay and scratch test, respectively. Western blot assay was employed to examine protein expression of IGF1R, apoptosis-related factors (caspase-3, cleaved capase-3) and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-related factors (E-cadherin, Vimentin).

Results: In the PTC tissues and cells, PVT1 and IGF1R were highly expressed and miR-30a was poorly expressed. PVT1 exerted its effects on PTC mainly in the cytoplasm. The PVT1 expression was correlated with TNM staging, LNM and tumor infiltration of PTC. The competitive binding of PVT1 to miR-30a enhanced expression of IGF1R. In the in vitro experiments, BCPAP and TPC-1 cells were selected. When subjected to siRNA PVT1 or miR-30a mimics, BCPAP and TPC-1 cells exhibited inhibited proliferation, cell cycle progression, invasion, migration, EMT (increased E-cadherin and reduced Vimentin) and promoted apoptosis (reduced caspase-3 and increased cleaved capase-3), and moreover, the expression of IGF1R was reduced.

Conclusion: This study provides evidence that long noncoding RNA PVT1 enhances the expression of IGF1R through competitive binding to miR-30a, whereby PVT1 facilitates the development of PTC.