Background: E2F-mediated cell proliferation enhancing long noncoding RNA (EPEL) is an oncogenic long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) in lung cancer, but its involvement in other malignancies is unknown. We aimed at exploring the potential role of EPEL in ovarian endometrioid adenocarcinoma. Results: Plasma levels of EPEL and p53 were significantly upregulated in ovarian endometrioid adenocarcinoma patients. In effect, EPEL overexpression distinguished ovarian endometrioid adenocarcinoma patients from the control group. Plasma levels of EPEL and p53 were reversely correlated in ovarian endometrioid adenocarcinoma patients. EPEL overexpression led to downregulated p53 expression in cells of human ovarian endometrioid adenocarcinoma cell line SNU-251, whereas no significant changes in the expression level of EPEL were observed after p53 expression. EPEL overexpression increased, whereas small interfering RNA (siRNA) silencing reduced the viability of SNU-251 cells under carboplatin treatment. In addition, p53 overexpression attenuated the effects of EPEL overexpression on cancer cell viability under carboplatin treatment. Conclusions: Therefore, the overexpression of EPEL may participate in the development of chemoresistance of cancer cells to carboplatin in ovarian endometrioid adenocarcinoma by downregulating p53.
Keywords: EPEL; carboplatin; chemoresistance; ovarian endometrioid adenocarcinoma; p53; viability.