SOX2-OT induced by PAI-1 promotes triple-negative breast cancer cells metastasis by sponging miR-942-5p and activating PI3K/Akt signaling

• DOI: 10.1007/s00018-021-04120-1
• Publication Date: 2022-01-07T20:02:26Z
• Authors: Wenwen Zhang; Shuofei Yang; Datian Chen; Daolu Yuwen; Juan Zhang; Xiaowei Wei; Xin Han; Xiaoxiang Guan
• Keywords: Triple-negative breast cancer

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) has an aggressive biological behavior and poor outcome. Our published study showed that PAI-1 could induce the migration and metastasis of TNBC cells. However, the underlying mechanism by which PAI-1 regulates TNBC metastasis has not been addressed. Here, we demonstrated that PAI-1 is high expressed in TNBC and promotes TNBC cells tumorigenesis. Using microarray analysis of lncRNA expression profiles, we identified a lncRNA SOX2-OT, which is induced by PAI-1 and could function as an oncogenic lncRNA in TNBC. Mechanistic analysis demonstrated that SOX2-OT acts as a molecular sponge for miR-942-5p to regulate the expression of PIK3CA, ultimately leading to activating PI3K/Akt signaling pathway and promoting TNBC metastasis. Taken together, our findings suggest that SOX2-OT regulates PAI-1-induced TNBC cell metastasis through miR-942-5p/PIK3CA signaling and illustrate the great potential of developing new SOX2-OT-targeting therapy for TNBC patients.