Long noncoding RNA PCAT-1 acts as an oncogene in osteosarcoma by reducing p21 levels

Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) is emerging as a critical regulator in multiple cancers. Recently, lncRNA PCAT-1 was found to be up-regulated in prostate cancer and hepatocellular carcinoma, exerting oncogenic effects. However, the biological function and regulatory mechanism of PCAT-1 remain unclear in osteosarcoma (OS). In this study, we reported that PCAT-1 expression was also upregulated in OS tissues, and its overexpression was remarkably associated with tumor size, Enneking stage, tumor node metastasis (TNM) stage and metastasis in patients with OS. Knockdown of PCAT-1 suppressed OS cells proliferation, migration and invasion in vitro, and inhibited the tumorigenicity of OS cells in vivo. Mechanistic investigations revealed that PCAT-1 could interact with EZH2, thereby repressing p21 expression. Additionally, rescue experiments indicated that PCAT-1 functioned as an oncogene partly via suppressing p21 in OS cells. Collectively, our findings demonstrate that PCAT-1 is a new candidate for use in OS diagnosis, prognosis and therapy.