LINC00152 induced by TGF-beta promotes metastasis via HuR in lung adenocarcinoma

Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) is one of the main causes of cancer-related mortality, with a strong tendency to metastasize early. Transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) signaling is a powerful regulator to promote metastasis of LUAD. Here, we screened long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) responsive to TGF-beta and highly expressed in LUAD cells, and finally obtained our master molecular LINC00152. We proved that the TGF-beta promoted transcription of LINC00152 through the classical TGF-beta/SMAD3 signaling pathway and maintained its stability through the RNA-binding protein HuR. Moreover, LINC00152 increased ZEB1, SNAI1 and SNAI2 expression via increasing the interactions of HuR and these transcription factors, ultimately promoting epithelial-mesenchymal transition of LUAD cell and enhancing LUAD metastasis in vivo. These data provided evidence that LINC00152 induced by TGF-beta promotes metastasis depending HuR in lung adenocarcinoma. Designing targeting LINC00152 and HuR inhibitors may therefore be an effective therapeutic strategy for LUAD treatment.