LncRNA LGALS8-AS1 Promotes Breast Cancer Metastasis Through miR-125b-5p/SOX12 Feedback Regulatory Network.

Background Metastasis is a major factor weakening the long-term survival of breast cancer patients. Increasing evidence revealed that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) were involved in the occurrence and development of breast cancer. In this study, we aimed to investigate the role of LGALS8-AS1 in the metastatic progression of breast cancer cells and its potential mechanisms. Results The lncRNA LGALS8-AS1 was highly expressed in breast cancer and associated with poor survival. LGALS8-AS1 functioned as an oncogenic lncRNA that promoted the metastasis of breast cancer both in vitro and in vivo. It upregulated SOX12 via competing as a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) for sponging miR-125b-5p and acted on the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway to promote the metastasis of breast cancer. Furthermore, SOX12, in turn, activated LGALS8-AS1 expression via direct recognition of its sequence binding enrichment motif on the LGALS8-AS1 promoter, thereby forming a positive feedback regulatory loop. Conclusion This study manifested a novel mechanism of LGALS8-AS1 facilitating the metastasis of breast cancer. The LGALS8-AS1/miR-125b-5p/SOX12 reciprocal regulatory loop dyscrasia promoted the migration and invasion of breast cancer cells. This signaling axis could be applicable to the design of novel therapeutic strategies against this malignancy.