lncRNA transcription factor 7 is related to deteriorating clinical features and poor prognosis in multiple myeloma, and its knockdown suppresses disease progression by regulating the miR-203-mediated Jagged1-Notch1 signaling pathway

Oncol Lett. 2021 May;21(5):412. doi: 10.3892/ol.2021.12673. Epub 2021 Mar 22.

Abstract

Multiple myeloma (MM) remains a challenge to treat, and its precise pathogenic mechanisms have not been fully clarified. The present study aimed to evaluate the relation between long non-coding RNA transcription factor 7 (lnc-TCF7) and clinical features, as well as the prognosis of patients with MM, and to determine the effects of lnc-TCF7-knockdown on the regulation (and regulatory mechanisms) of MM progression. lnc-TCF7 expression was detected in the bone marrow plasma cells of 86 patients with MM and 30 healthy controls. In patients with MM, the clinical data were collected, and event-free survival (EFS) and overall survival (OS) analyses were conducted. In vitro, lnc-TCF7 expression was detected in MM cell lines and normal bone marrow plasma cells. Using Roswell Park Memorial Institute 8226 cells, functional experiments were conducted following lnc-TCF7 short hairpin (sh)RNA transfection, and compensation experiments were performed after lnc-TCF7 shRNA transfection alone and in combination with a microRNA (miR)-203 inhibitor. lnc-TCF7 expression was increased in patients with MM compared with the healthy controls and was positively related to β-2-microglobulin expression and International Staging System stage, while negatively associated with complete response, EFS and OS. In vitro, lnc-TCF7 was upregulated in MM cells compared with normal bone marrow plasma cells, and its knockdown suppressed MM cell proliferation while promoting apoptosis. Compensation experiments showed that miR-203 inhibition promoted MM progression by regulating the Jagged1-Notch1 signaling pathway in lnc-TCF7-knockdown cells. In conclusion, increased lnc-TCF7 expression was related to deteriorating clinical features and prognosis, and lnc-TCF7-knockdown inhibited disease progression by regulating the miR-203-mediated Jagged1-Notch1 signaling pathway activation in MM.

Keywords: Jagged1; Notch1; lnc-TCF7; miR-203; multiple myeloma.

Grants and funding

This study was supported by The Key Medical Subject of Qiang Wei Project in Jiangsu Province (grant no. ZDXKB2016009), The Nantong Hematological Clinical Medical Research Center (grant no. HS2015004), The National Natural Science Foundation of China Grants (grant no. 81070400) and The Medical Innovation Team and the Leading Talent Project of Jiangsu (grant no. LJ201136).