The MCM3AP-AS1/miR-126/VEGF axis regulates cancer cell invasion and migration in endometrioid carcinoma.

Background: Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) MCM3AP-AS1 plays an oncogenic role in several malignancies, but its role in endometrioid carcinoma (EC) is unclear. This study was carried out to explore the role of MCM3AP-AS1 in EC.

Methods: A total of 60 EC patients were enrolled in this study. Expression levels of MCM3AP Antisense RNA 1 (MCM3AP-AS1), microRNA-126 (miR-126), and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in tissues and transfetced cells were measured by RT-qPCR. Cell transfections were performed to explore the interaction among MCM3AP-AS1, miR-126 and VEGF. Transwell assays were perfromed to evaluate the invasion and migration abilities of HEC-1 cells after transfection.

Results: MCM3AP-AS1 was upregulated in EC and predicted poor survival. MCM3AP-AS1 directly interacted with miR-126. In EC cells, overexpression of MCM3AP-AS1 and miR-126 did not significantly affect the expression of each other. In addition, overexpression of MCM3AP-AS1 increased the expression levels of VEGF, a target of miR-126. Moreover, overexpression of MCM3AP-AS1 and VEGF increased the migration and invasion rates of EC cells, while overexpression of miR-126 suppressed these cell behaviors. Overexpression of MCM3AP-AS1 attenuated the role of miR-126 in cell invasion and migration.

Conclusions: Therefore, MCM3AP-AS1 may serve as a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) of miR-126 to upregulate VEGF, thereby regulating cancer cell behaviors in EC.