Silencing of Long Non-Coding RNA LINC00607 Prevents Tumor Proliferation of Osteosarcoma by Acting as a Sponge of miR-607 to Downregulate E2F6

Abstract

Osteosarcoma (OS), a type of malignant bone tumor, is commonly found in children and adolescents. Although previous studies have identified that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) regulate OS, it is unclear whether lncRNAs impact the progression of OS. Here, we identified LINC00607, a lncRNA that facilitates OS proliferation, migration, and invasion. Based on the RNA-sequencing results, LINC00607 expression was significantly upregulated in pulmonary metastasis within OS. Functional experiments revealed that LINC00607 promoted migration and invasion of endothelial cells to exacerbate epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Furthermore, the results of RNA pull-down assay and invasion assay suggested that the binding between LINC00607 and miR-607 promoted OS invasion. Bioinformatic analysis and rescue experiments demonstrated that E2F6, a transcriptional factor, functioned downstream of LINC00607/miR-607. Finally, we found that LINC00607 promoted OS progression in vivo. This work revealed that LINC00607 worked as an miR-607 sponge to upregulate E2F6 expression, which promoted tumor proliferation in OS. These results identified a novel therapeutic target for treating OS.