Long noncoding RNA TCF7 promotes invasiveness and self-renewal of human non-small cell lung cancer cells

Lung cancer is the most common solid tumor and the leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) represents the major histological subtype and accounts for about 80 % cases of lung cancer cases. Recently, lncRNA lncTCF7 was identified, which is highly expressed in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tumors and liver cancer stem cells (CSCs). However, the role of lnTCF7 in NSCLC remains largely unknown. In this study, Gain- and loss-of-function studies demonstrated the critical role of lncTCF7 in promoting invasion and self-renewal in NSCLC cells. We showed that lncTCF7 increased slug expression to promote the invasive capability of NSCLC cells and upregulated EpCAM expression to promote the self-renewal. Collectively, these findings provide new insights into the potential role of lncTCF7 upregulation in NSCLC metastasis and suggest a promising potential to suppress lncTCF7 for NSCLC patients.