lncRNA TM4SF1-AS1 predicts dismal outcomes and promotes cholangiocarcinoma progression via modulating miR-744-3p.

Background: Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is of great malignancy and high mortality. Identification of effective biomarkers could improve the monitoring of CCA development and attenuate patients' outcomes.

Objective: The potential of lncRNA TM4SF1-AS1 (TM4SF1-AS1) serving biomarker of CCA was estimated and the underlying mechanism was also investigated.

Methods: A total of 107 pairs of tumor and paracancer tissues were collected from CCA patients. The expression levels of TM4SF1-AS1 and miR-744-3p were analyzed in CCA by PCR, and their clinical significance was estimated by a series of statistical analyses. CCK8 and Transwell assays were used to assess the development-related cellular processes of CCA. The interaction between TM4SF1-AS1 and miR-774-3p was evaluated by cell transfection and dual-luciferase reporter assay.

Results: The elevated expression of TM4SF1-AS1 and the declined expression of miR-744-3p were observed in CCA. Both TM4SF1-AS1 and miR-744-3p were found to possess a close association with the malignant progression and poor prognosis of CCA patients. TM4SF1-AS1 was suggested to act as a tumor promoter of CCA, where miR-744-3p was found to mediate the function of TM4SF1-AS1.

Conclusion: Both TM4SF1-AS1 and miR-744-3p were identified as prognostic biomarkers of CCA. TM4SF1-AS1 served as tumor promoter of CCA via modulating miR-744-3p.