Lnc NR2F1-AS1 promotes breast cancer metastasis by targeting miR-25-3p/ZEB2 axis

Abstract Background: Long noncoding RNAs (LncRNAs) has been demonstrated to have a considerable effect on tumor metastasis and are aberrently expressed in a variety of cancers. Nevertheless, its role in breast cancer (BC) remains incompletely inventoried.Methods: The microarray assay of differentially expressed lncRNAs in epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and non-EMT cells was performed. The prognostic value of lnc NR2F1-AS1 expression in BC patients were analyzed in the TCGA database. Lnc NR2F1-AS1 expression level in different BC cell line were assessed by qPCR. The role of lnc NR2F1-AS1 in BC cell metastasis was investigated in vitro and in vivo. Dual luciferase reporter assay and RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) were performed to uncover the relationship between lnc NR2F1-AS1, miR-25-3p, and ZEB2. Results: High level of lnc NR2F1-AS1 was observed in BC cells undergoing EMT and was clolsely correlated with adverse prognosis in BC patients. Lnc NR2F1-AS1 knockdown notably inhibited BC cell migration, invasiveness in vitro and metastasis in vivo. Mechanistically, lnc NR2F1-AS1 competitively bind with miR-25-3p to impede the degradation of ZEB2, which is a positive EMT transcription factor in BC. Conclusions: Taken together, our study reveals a novel lnc NR2F1-AS1/miR-25-3p/ZEB2 axis for BC metastasis and indicate that lnc NR2F1-AS1 may serve as a potential therapeutic target for breast cancer metastasis.