Background: Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) can affect tumorigenesis. Data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCAG) suggest that LINC02783  is highly expressed in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and is expected to be a potential biological target. We conducted this study to verify this.
Patients and Methods: We conducted this study to verify the opinion that “LINC02783  is highly expressed in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and is expected to be a potential biological target”. We employed quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) to test LINC02783  expression in RCC tissues, CKK-8 assay and transwell assay to assess the viability and invasion of RCC cells, Western blot to quantify Sox-4 expression, dual-luciferase reporter (DLR) assay and RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) assay to analyze the interaction between LINC02783  and miR-20b, in vivo experiments to test tumor formation.
Results: We detected high LINC02783 expression in RCC patients. Patients with higher LINC02783  levels had a markedly poorer prognosis. In vitro and in vivo, the down-regulation of LINC02783  suppressed the viability and invasion of RCC cells. The DLR assay results revealed that LINC02783  enhanced Sox-4 expression by regulating miR-20b. LINC02783 can act as a sponge for miR-20b to inhibit Sox-4 expression.
Conclusion: LINC02783  is highly expressed in RCC patients and indicates a poor prognosis. LINC02783  can affect the occurrence and progression of RCC through the miR-20b/Sox-4 axis, making it a promising target for the treatment of RCC.
Keywords: LINC02783 , miR-20b, Sox-4, renal cell carcinoma, The Cancer Genome Atlas, prognosis