Up-regulation of the long non-coding RNA RMRP contributes to glioma progression and promotes glioma cell proliferation and invasion.

Introduction: Gliomas are the most common malignant tumors of the brain. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play key regulatory roles in various tumors. In this study, we aimed to determine the expression and biological roles of lncRNA RMRP in glioma.

Material and methods: The relative expression level of lncRNA RMRP was determined by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) in a total of 39 patients with glioma. RNA interference (RNAi) approaches were used to investigate the biological functions of RMRP. The effect of lncRNA RMRP on proliferation was determined by CCK8 assay. Cell cycle and apoptosis were evaluated by flow cytometry analysis. Cell migration was explored by the wound-healing assay. Cell invasion was investigated by the Transwell invasion assay.

Results: LncRNA RMRP was up-regulated in human glioma tissues compared with normal brain tissues ( p < 0.05). LncRNA RMRP up-regulation was significantly correlated with advanced tumor grade and low Karnofsky Performance Score (KPS) ( p < 0.05). Moreover, patients with a high expression level of lncRNA RMRP had a relatively poor prognosis ( p < 0.05). Multivariate analyses revealed that lncRNA RMRP expression served as an independent predictor for overall survival of glioma patients ( p < 0.05). In addition, inhibition of lncRNA RMRP by RNAi significantly suppressed the proliferation, migration and invasion of glioma cells in vitro ( p < 0.05).

Conclusions: lncRNA RMRP might act as an oncogene and could be used as a therapeutic target for the treatment of glioma. Our findings provide an in-depth insight into the role of lncRNA RMRP in glioma progression.