LncRNA WT1-AS over-expression inhibits non-small cell lung cancer cell stemness by down-regulating TGF-β1

Abstract Background LncRNA WT1-AS is a recently identified potential tumor suppressor in gastric cancer. This study mainly explored the role of WT1-AS in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods WT1-AS and TGF-β1 mRNA in two types of tissues of 74 NSCLC patients were detected by performing RT-qPCR experiments. WT1-AS and TGF-β1 expression vectors were established using the pcDNA3.1 vector. Protein concentration was measured by BCA assay. Mean values in this study were calculated using the data of three biological replicates of each experiment. Results We found that WT1-AS was down-regulated, while TGF-β1 was upregulated in NSCLC tissues. Survival analysis showed that low levels of WT1-AS expression predicted poor survival of NSCLC patients. WT1-AS and TGF-β1 were inversely correlated in NSCLC tissues. Over-expression experiments revealed down-regulated TGF-β1 after WT1-AS over-expression, while TGF-β1 over-expression failed to affect WT1-AS. WT1-AS over-expression resulted in inhibited cancer cell stemness. TGF-β1 over-expression played an opposite role and attenuated the effects of TGF-β1 over-expression. Conclusion Therefore, WT1-AS over-expression may inhibit non-small cell lung cancer cell stemness by down-regulating TGF-β1. Trial registration The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University Ethics committee approved this study (AHMU20101009).