LncRNA UCA1 promotes pancreatic cancer cell migration by regulating mitochondrial dynamics via the MAPK pathway

Purpose: Long non-coding RNA urothelial cancer associated 1 (UCA1) serves as an oncogene in various cancers. However, the mechanism underlying the role of UCA1 in pancreatic cancer remains unclear. This study aimed to explore the role of UCA1 in pancreatic cancer.

Methods: The expression and prognosis of UCA1 were analyzed using The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx) databases. The results were validated by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and qRT-PCR. The biofunctions of UCA1 were analyzed using Gene Ontology (GO), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG), and Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA). The migration abilities and mitochondrial dynamics of PC cells were examined using the Transwell assay, mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), and fluorescence. The mitochondrial-related protein and MAPK/ERK pathway markers were evaluated using western blotting.

Results: UCA1 expression was significantly higher in pancreatic cancer tissues than in normal tissues. High UCA1 expression indicated poor clinical outcomes and was associated with clinical features in patients with pancreatic cancer. Additionally, high UCA1 expression is a potential independent marker for poor prognosis. Subsequently, we demonstrated that UCA1 enhanced the migration capability, increased MMP, enhanced mitochondrial fusion, and inhibited mitochondrial autophagy in pancreatic cancer cells via the MAPK/ERK pathway.

Conclusion: UCA1 promotes the migration by regulating the mitochondrial dynamics of pancreatic cancer cells via the MAPK/ERK pathway. Our findings suggest that UCA1 may serve as a potential biomarker in pancreatic cancer prognosis.