Long non-coding RNA lnc-MX1-1 is associated with poor clinical features and promotes cellular proliferation and invasiveness in prostate cancer

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are emerging as key molecules in human cancer genesis and progression, including prostate cancer. Large amount of lncRNAs have been found that differentially expressed between prostate cancer tissues and normal prostate tissues. Whether these lncRNAs could serve as a novel biomarker for prostate cancer diagnosis or prognosis, and their biological functions in prostate cancer need further investigation. In the present study, we identified that lncRNA lnc-MX1-1 is over-expressed in prostate cancer tissues compared with their adjacent normal prostate tissues by gene expression array profiling. The expression of lnc-MX1-1 in 60 prostate cancer cases was determined by real-time quantitative PCR and the correlations between lnc-MX1-1 expression and patients' clinical features were further analyzed. Next, we impaired lnc-MX1-1 expression using RNAi in LNCaP and 22Rv1 prostate cancer cells to explore the effects of lnc-MX1-1 on proliferation and invasiveness of the cells. Our results showed that there was a significant association between over-expression of lnc-MX1-1 and patients' clinical features such as PSA, Gleason score, metastasis, and recurrence free survival. Moreover, knockdown of lnc-MX1-1 reduced both proliferation and invasiveness of LNCaP and 22Rv1 cells. In conclusion, the results suggest that lnc-MX1-1 may serve as a potential biomarker and therapeutic target for prostate cancer.