ELK1-induced upregulation of lncRNA HOXA10-AS promotes lung adenocarcinoma progression by increasing Wnt/β-catenin signaling

In recent years, increasing number of lncRNAs have been studied in lung adenocarcinoma (LAD). LncRNA HOXA10-AS was found to be upregulated in LAD tissues. Based on the data of TCGA database, HOXA10-AS was a prognostic factor for lung adenocarcinoma. This study aims to reveal the biological function of HOXA10-AS in LAD. qRT-PCR was applied to test expression levels of HOXA10-AS in both LAD tissues and cell lines. Next, transcription factor ELK1 was demonstrated to upregulate HOXA10-AS in LAD cells through performing bioinformatics analysis and dual luciferase activity. Loss of function assays were performed in two different LAD cell lines. Silenced HOXA10-AS was proved to inhibit LAD progression by affecting cell proliferation, cell apoptosis and cell metastasis and EMT progress. Western blot analysis revealed that HOXA10-AS increased Wnt/β-catenin signaling in LAD cell lines. Finally, rescue assays were carried out to identify the biological function of HOXA10-AS-Wnt/β-catenin signaling in LAD progression. In conclusion, ELK1-induced upregulation of HOXA10-AS improved LAD progression through increasing Wnt/β-catenin signaling.