Link‑a lncrna functions in the metastasis of osteosarcoma by upregulating hif1α

Abstract

Long intergenic non-coding RNA for kinase activation (LINK-A) long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) is an oncogenic lncRNA in triple-negative breast cancer. The involvement of LINK-A lncRNA in other diseases is unknown. The present study aimed to investigate the possible involvement of LINK-A lncRNA in osteosarcoma. The results demonstrated that plasma levels of LINK‑A lncRNA were significantly higher in patients with metastatic osteosarcoma (MO) compared with healthy controls and patients with non-metastatic osteosarcoma (NMO). LINK‑A lncRNA overexpression significantly promoted cancer cell migration and invasion in osteosarcoma cell lines MG-63 and U20S. Upregulated expression of hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF1α) was observed in cancer cells following LINK-A lncRNA overexpression. Exogenous HIF1α treatment did not significantly affect the expression of LINK-A lncRNA in cancer cells, whereas treatment with an HIF1α inhibitor significantly attenuated the effects of LINK‑A lncRNA overexpression on cancer cell migration and invasion. Based on the results it was concluded that LINK-A lncRNA participated in the metastasis of osteosarcoma by upregulating HIF1α; upregulation of LINK-A lncRNA may serve as a potential diagnostic biomarker for patients with MO but not in those with NMO.