(1) Lung cancer (both small cell and non-small cell) is the leading cause of new deaths associated with cancers globally in men and women. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are associated with tumorigenesis in different types of tumors, including lung cancer. Herein, we discuss: (1) An examination of the expression profile of lncCDH5-3:3 in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and an evaluation of its functional role in lung cancer development and progression using in vitro models; (2) A quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction assay that confirms lncCDH5-3:3 expression in tumor samples resected from 20 NSCLC patients, and that shows its statistically higher expression levels at stage III NSCLC, compared to stages I and II. Moreover, knockout (KO) and overexpression, as well as molecular and biochemical techniques, were used to investigate the biological functions of lncCDH5-3:3 in NSCLC cells, with a focus on the cells' proliferation and migration; (3) The finding that lncCDH5-3:3 silencing promotes apoptosis and probably regulates the cell cycle and E-cadherin expression in adenocarcinoma cell lines. In comparison, lncCDH5-3:3 overexpression increases the expression levels of proliferation and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition markers, such as EpCAM, Akt, and ERK1/2; however, at the same time, it also stimulates the expression of E-cadherin, which conversely inhibits the mobility capabilities of lung cancer cells; (4) The results of this study, which provide important insights into the role of lncRNAs in lung cancer. Our study shows that lncCDH5-3:3 affects important features of lung cancer cells, such as their viability and motility. The results support the idea that lncCDH5-3:3 is probably involved in the oncogenesis of NSCLC through the regulation of apoptosis and tumor cell metastasis formation.
Keywords: apoptosis; lncCDH5-3:3; migration; non-small cell lung cancer; proliferation; tumor cell aggressiveness.