LncRNA GHET1 promotes esophageal squamous cell carcinoma cells proliferation and invasion via induction of EMT

Background: Recent studies have shown that long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) gastric carcinoma highly expressed transcript 1 (GHET1) was involved in the progression of tumors. However, the role of GHET1 in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) remains unclear. Methods: The expression of lncRNA GHET1 was examined in 55 paired ESCC tissues and adjacent nontumor tissues. Molecular and cellular techniques were used to explore the role of GHET1 on ESCC cells. Results: Our data showed that GHET1 expression was significantly increased in ESCC tissues and cell lines. High GHET1 expression in ESCC tissues was significantly associated with poor differentiation, advanced tumor nodes metastasis stage, and lymph node metastasis. GHET1 showed high sensitivity and specificity for diagnosing ESCC. Our data from in vitro assays showed that GHET1 inhibition suppressed ESCC cells proliferation, migration, and invasion, and induced cells apoptosis. Furthermore, western blot showed that GHET1 inhibition significantly decreased the expression of vimentin and N-cadherin while it increased the expression of E-cadherin. Conclusions: Our study indicates that GHET1 acts as an oncogene in ESCC and may represent a novel therapeutic target for the treatment of ESCC patients.