Overexpression and Downregulation of HOTAIR Influence the Stemness Markers in Gastric Cancer Cell Lines.

Background: Several long non-coding RNAs are implicated in the development and metastasis of cancer. The non-coding RNA HOTAIR is known to play a significant role in the progression of various cancers. Objectives: This study aimed to assess the impact of HOTAIR dysregulation on stemness markers in AGS and MKN45 gastric cancer cell lines. Methods: Downregulation and upregulation of HOTAIR were induced using small interfering RNA (siRNA) and a HOTAIR overexpression vector, respectively. The surface stemness markers CD24 and CD44 were analyzed using flow cytometry. Additionally, the effects on the expression of two stemness markers, NANOG and P21, were investigated using Quantitative Reverse Transcription PCR (qRT-PCR). Results: Flow cytometry analysis showed that HOTAIR modulates the cell-surface expression of CD44 and CD24 in gastric cancer cells. Furthermore, dysregulation of HOTAIR significantly affected the expression of the genes P21 and NANOG. Conclusions: Our studies suggest that HOTAIR may regulate the stemness characteristics of gastric cancer cell lines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]