Effect and mechanism of long non-coding RNA ZEB2-AS1 in the occurrence and development of colon cancer.

Objective: Clarify the expression changes, biological functions and related mechanisms of long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) ZEB2-AS1 in colon cancer tissues. Methods: The expression levels of ZEB2-AS1 in colon cancer tissues and adjacent tissues were detected by qRT-PCR and in situ hybridization methods. Cell biology experiments were performed to detect the proliferation, migration and apoptosis of colon cancer cells when the level of ZEB2-AS1 was overexpression or silencing. Then, Western blot was performed to analyze the effect of ZEB2-AS1 on the expression levels of beta-catenin protein and related genes in the signal pathway. Results: We found that the expression level of ZEB2-AS1 in colon cancer tissues was significantly up-regulated compared with that in adjacent normal tissues. In colon cancer cell line of HCT8, overexpression of ZEB2-AS1 could promote cell proliferation and migration, while silencing ZEB2-AS1 would enhance cell apoptosis and inhibit proliferation. Study on the mechanism of ZEB2-AS1 showed that it could promote the expression of beta-catenin, activate downstream genes to be transcribed and promote the occurrence and development of tumors. Conclusion: ZEB2-AS1 could promote colon cancer cell proliferation and inhibit apoptosis to promote the progression of colon cancer by upregulating the expression of beta-catenin protein. ZEB2-AS1 may be a useful new target for treating colon cancer patients.