Downregulation of the long non-coding RNA TUSC7 promotes NSCLC cell proliferation and correlates with poor prognosis.

Background: Emerging evidence indicated that dysregulated long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) was implicated in the tumorigenesis and progression. LncRNA TUSC7 was involved in various malignancies. However, the role of TUSC7 in human non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains unclear. Methods: Expression of TUSC7 was analyzed in 112 cases of NSCLC tissues and six lung cancer cell lines by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). Then the correlation of TUSC7 expression with clinicopathological features and prognosis was aslo studied. Furthermore, overexpression of TUSC7 was performed and its role in tumor progression was explored. Results: The expression level of TUSC7 was lower in NSCLC tissues and lung cancer cells compared with their normal counterparts. Lower expression of TUSC7 in NSCLC tissues was associated with larger tumor size and higher TNM stage. Patients with lower TUSC7 expression had worse overall survival compared with the high expression cases. Univariate and multivariate analyses suggested that low expression of TUSC7 was an independent poor prognostic indicator for NSCLC patients. Moreover, upregulation of TUSC7 expression could inhibit proliferation of lung cancer cell in vitro. Conclusions: Our results suggested that TUSC7 was a potential biomarker for NSCLC prognosis, and the dysregulation of TUSC7 may play an important role in the NSCLC progression.