Linkage between Large intergenic non-coding RNA regulator of reprogramming and Stemness State in Samples with Helicobacter pylori Infection of Gastric Cancer Cells

Background: Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), as non-protein coding transcripts, play key roles in tumor progression and stemness state in many malignancies, as their aberrant expression has been found in gastric cancer (GC) as one of the most common cancer worldwide. LINC-ROR (large intergenic noncoding RNA regulator of reprogramming) identified as an involved lncRNA in human malignancies, however, cancer related molecular mech­anisms, its functional roles and clinical value of LINC-ROR in gastric cancer remains unclear. LINC-ROR has key roles in stem cell survival, pluripotency, differentiation and self-renewal in human embryonic stem cells (hESCs). In this study, our aim was to assess the probable interplay between key markers contributing in gastric cancer and their role with development of the disease. Materials and Methods: The gene expression profile of LINC-ROR and SALL4 was assessed in fresh tumoral compared to distant non-tumoral tissues of 79 GC patients by quantitative Real-time PCR. Results: Our results indicated underexpression of LINC-ROR in gastric tumor tissues. Furthermore, there was significant correlation between the underexpression of SALL4 with LINC-ROR underexpression in a variety of clinicopathological features, including depth of tumor invasion, H. pylori infection, grade of tumor cell, location and differentiation (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Our results show that SALL4-LINC-ROR axis is involved in gastric cancer tumorigenesis and may represent a novel diagnostic and therapeutic target for gastric cancer invasion.