LncRNA ELFNI-ASI Promotes Retinoblastoma Growth and Invasion via Regulating miR-4270/SBK1 Axis

Background: Long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) has been reported to play important roles in tumor initiation. However, how lncRNA ELFN1-AS1 affects retinoblastoma development remains unclear. Thus, we sought to elucidate its functions in retinoblastoma progression. Methods: ELFN1-AS1 expression was measured in retinoblastoma tissues and normal tissues by qRT-PCR. CCK8, colony formation and Transwell assay were carried out to investigate the effects of ELFN1-AS1 knockdown on cell malignant behaviors. Bioinformatics analyses were performed to predict the relationship among ELFN1-AS1, miR-4270 and SBK1. Results: ELFN1-AS1 was highly expressed in retinoblastoma tissues and cell lines. ELFN1-AS1 was positively correlated with retinoblastoma progression and prognosis. ELFN1-AS1 knockdown curtailed retinoblastoma proliferation, migration and invasion. ELFN1-AS1 was the competing endogenous RNA for miR-4270 and promoted SBK1expression. Conclusion: Altogether, our findings demonstrated that ELFN1-AS1 promotes retinoblastoma progression through mediating miR-4270/SBK1 axis and might be a promising therapeutic target. Keywords: ELFN1-AS1, miR-4270, SBK1, retinoblastoma, progression