Knockdown of long non-coding RNA PVT1 induces apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in clear cell renal cell carcinoma through the epidermal growth factor receptor pathway

An immune infiltration-related prognostic model of kidney renal clear cell carcinoma with two valuable markers: CAPN12 and MSC

Background

Since its discovery, clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) has been the most prevalent and lethal kidney malignancy. Our research aims to identify possible prognostic genes of ccRCC and to develop efficient prognostic models for ccRCC patients based on multi-omics investigations to shed light on the treatment and prognosis of ccRCC.

Methods

To determine a risk score for each patient, we screened out differentially expressed genes using data from tumor samples, and control samples mined from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and GTEx datasets. Somatic mutation and copy number variation profiles were analyzed to look for specific genomic changes connected to risk scores. To investigate potential functional relationships of prognostic genes, gene set variation analysis (GSVA) and gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) were carried out. We created a prognostic model by fusing risk ratings with other clinical variables. For validation, the 786-O cell line was used to carry out the dual-gRNA approach to knock down CAPN12 and MSC. This was followed by qRT-PCR to verify the knockdown of CAPN12 and MSC.

Results

For ccRCC, seven predictive genes were discovered: PVT1, MSC, ALDH6A1, TRIB3, QRFPR, CYS1, and CAPN12. The most enriched pathways in the GSVA study and GSEA analysis promote tumorigenesis and immune system modulation. The risk score derived from prognostic genes corresponds with immune infiltration cells and helps predict how well a medicine will work. The mutation of numerous oncogenes was also linked to a high-risk score. A prognostic model with a high ROC value was created for the risk score. An in vitro study demonstrates that the suppression of CAPN12 and MSC dramatically reduced the ability of 786-O cells to proliferate in the CCK-8 proliferation assay and plate clonality assays.

Conclusions

A thorough prognostic model with good performance has been developed for ccRCC patients using seven prognostic genes that were discovered to be related to ccRCC prognosis. In ccRCC, CAPN12 and MSC were significant indicators and would make good therapeutic targets.

A review on the role of cyclin dependent kinases in cancers

The Cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) class of serine/threonine kinases has crucial roles in the regulation of cell cycle transition and is mainly involved in the pathogenesis of cancers. The expression of CDKs is controlled by a complex regulatory network comprised of genetic and epigenetic mechanisms, which are dysregulated during the progression of cancer. The abnormal activation of CDKs results in uncontrolled cancer cell proliferation and the induction of cancer stem cell characteristics. The levels of CDKs can be utilized to predict the prognosis and treatment response of cancer patients, and further understanding of the function and underlying mechanisms of CDKs in human tumors would pave the way for future cancer therapies that effectively target CDKs. Defects in the regulation of cell cycle and mutations in the genes coding cell-cycle regulatory proteins lead to unrestrained proliferation of cells leading to formation of tumors. A number of treatment modalities have been designed to combat dysregulation of cell cycle through affecting expression or activity of CDKs. However, effective application of these methods in the clinical settings requires recognition of the role of CDKs in the progression of each type of cancer, their partners, their interactions with signaling pathways and the effects of suppression of these kinases on malignant features. Thus, we designed this literature search to summarize these findings at cellular level, as well as in vivo and clinical levels.

lncRNA PVT1: a novel oncogene in multiple cancers

Long noncoding RNAs are involved in epigenetic gene modification, including binding to the chromatin rearrangement complex in pre-transcriptional regulation and to gene promoters in gene expression regulation, as well as acting as microRNA sponges to control messenger RNA levels in post-transcriptional regulation. An increasing number of studies have found that long noncoding RNA plasmacytoma variant translocation 1 (PVT1) plays an important role in cancer development. In this review of a large number of studies on PVT1, we found that PVT1 is closely related to tumor onset, proliferation, invasion, epithelial–mesenchymal transformation, and apoptosis, as well as poor prognosis and radiotherapy and chemotherapy resistance in some cancers. This review comprehensively describes PVT1 expression in various cancers and presents novel approaches to the diagnosis and treatment of cancer.

The Role of Non-Coding RNAs in the Pathogenesis of Parkinson’s Disease: Recent Advancement

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a prevalent neurodegenerative aging disorder that manifests as motor and non-motor symptoms, and its etiopathogenesis is influenced by non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs). Signal pathway and gene sequence studies have proposed that alteration of ncRNAs is relevant to the occurrence and development of PD. Furthermore, many studies on brain tissues and body fluids from patients with PD indicate that variations in ncRNAs and their target genes could trigger or exacerbate neurodegenerative pathogenesis and serve as potential non-invasive biomarkers of PD. Numerous ncRNAs have been considered regulators of apoptosis, α-syn misfolding and aggregation, mitochondrial dysfunction, autophagy, and neuroinflammation in PD etiology, and evidence is mounting for the determination of the role of competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) mechanisms in disease development. In this review, we discuss the current knowledge regarding the regulation and function of ncRNAs as well as ceRNA networks in PD pathogenesis, focusing on microRNAs, long ncRNAs, and circular RNAs to increase the understanding of the disease and propose potential target identification and treatment in the early stages of PD.

Parkinson's Disease Is Associated With Dysregulation of Circulatory Levels of lncRNAs

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been recently reported to be involved in the pathoetiology of Parkinson’s disease (PD). Circulatory levels of lncRNAs might be used as markers for PD. In the present work, we measured expression levels of HULC, PVT1, MEG3, SPRY4-IT1, LINC-ROR and DSCAM-AS1 lncRNAs in the circulation of patients with PD versus healthy controls. Expression of HULC was lower in total patients compared with total controls (Expression ratio (ER)=0.19, adjusted P value<0.0001) as well as in female patients compared with female controls (ER=0.071, adjusted P value=0.0004). Expression of PVT1 was lower in total patients compared with total controls (ER=0.55, adjusted P value=0.0124). Expression of DSCAM-AS1 was higher in total patients compared with total controls (ER=5.67, P value=0.0029) and in male patients compared with male controls (ER=9.526, adjusted P value=0.0024). Expression of SPRY4-IT was higher in total patients compared with total controls (ER=2.64, adjusted P value<0.02) and in male patients compared with male controls (ER=3.43, P value<0.03). Expression of LINC-ROR was higher in total patients compared with total controls (ER=10.36, adjusted P value<0.0001) and in both male and female patients compared with sex-matched controls (ER=4.57, adjusted P value=0.03 and ER=23.47, adjusted P value=0.0019, respectively). Finally, expression of MEG3 was higher in total patients compared with total controls (ER=13.94, adjusted P value<0.0001) and in both male and female patients compared with sex-matched controls (ER=8.60, adjusted P value<0.004 and ER=22.58, adjusted P value<0.0085, respectively). ROC curve analysis revealed that MEG3 and LINC-ROR have diagnostic power of 0.77 and 0.73, respectively. Other lncRNAs had AUC values less than 0.7. Expression of none of lncRNAs was correlated with age of patients, disease duration, disease stage, MMSE or UPDRS. The current study provides further evidence for dysregulation of lncRNAs in the circulation of PD patients.

Comprehensive analysis of lncRNAs as biomarkers for diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment response in clear cell renal cell carcinoma

Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is the most common histological type of renal carcinoma and has a high recurrence rate and poor outcome. Accurate patient risk stratification based on genetic markers can help to identify the high-risk patient for early and further treatments and would promote patient survival. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have attracted widespread attention as biomarkers for early diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis because of their high specificity and sensitivity. Here, we performed a systematic search in NCBI PubMed and found 44 lncRNAs as oncogenes, 18 lncRNAs as tumor suppressors, 199 lncRNAs as diagnostic biomarkers, 62 lncRNAs as prognostic biomarkers, and 3 lncRNAs as predictive biomarkers for ccRCC. We also comprehensively discuss the biological functions and molecular regulatory mechanisms of lncRNAs in ccRCC. Overall, the present study is a systemic analysis to assess the expression and clinical value of lncRNAs in ccRCC, and lncRNAs hold promise to be diagnostic, prognostic, and predictive biomarkers.

Positive feedback regulation of lncRNA PVT1 and HIF2α contributes to clear cell renal cell carcinoma tumorigenesis and metastasis

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been reported to exert important roles in tumors, including clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). PVT1 is an important oncogenic lncRNA which has critical effects on onset and development of various cancers, however, the underlying mechanism of PVT1 functioning in ccRCC remains largely unknown. VHL deficiency-induced HIF2α accumulation is one of the major factors for ccRCC. Here, we identified the potential molecular mechanism of PVT1 in promoting ccRCC development by stabilizing HIF2α. PVT1 was significantly upregulated in ccRCC tissues and high PVT1 expression was associated with poor prognosis of ccRCC patients. Both gain-of-function and loss-of function experiments revealed that PVT1 enhanced ccRCC cells proliferation, migration, and invasion and induced tumor angiogenesis in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, PVT1 interacted with HIF2α protein and enhanced its stability by protecting it from ubiquitination-dependent degradation, thereby exerting its biological significance. Meanwhile, HIF2α bound to the enhancer of PVT1 to transactivate its expression. Furthermore, HIF2α specific inhibitor could repress PVT1 expression and its oncogenic functions. Therefore, our study demonstrates that the PVT1/ HIF2α positive feedback loop involves in tumorigenesis and progression of ccRCC, which may be exploited for anticancer therapy.

lncRNA PVT1 in the Pathogenesis and Clinical Management of Renal Cell Carcinoma

LncRNA PVT1 (plasmacytoma variant translocation 1) has become a staple of the lncRNA profile in patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Common dysregulation in renal tumors outlines the essential role of PVT1 in the development of RCC. There is already a plethora of publications trying to uncover the cellular mechanisms of PVT1-mediated regulation and its potential exploitation in management of RCC. In this review, we summarize the literature focused on PVT1 in RCC and aim to synthesize the current knowledge on its role in the cells of the kidney. Further, we provide an overview of the lncRNA profiling studies that have identified a more or less significant association of PVT1 with the clinical behavior of RCC. Based on our search, we analyzed the 17 scientific papers discussed in this review that provide robust support for the indispensable role of PVT1 in RCC development and future personalized therapy.

Circulating Non-coding RNAs in Renal Cell Carcinoma-Pathogenesis and Potential Implications as Clinical Biomarkers

Liquid biopsy-the determination of circulating cells, proteins, DNA or RNA from biofluids through a "less invasive" approach-has emerged as a novel approach in all cancer entities. Circulating non-(protein) coding RNAs including microRNAs (miRNAs), long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), and YRNAs can be passively released by tissue or cell damage or actively secreted as cell-free circulating RNAs, bound to lipoproteins or carried by exosomes. In renal cell carcinoma (RCC), a growing body of evidence suggests circulating non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) such as miRNAs, lncRNAs, and YRNAs as promising and easily accessible blood-based biomarkers for the early diagnosis of RCC as well as for the prediction of prognosis and treatment response. In addition, circulating ncRNAs could also play a role in RCC pathogenesis and progression. This review gives an overview over the current study landscape of circulating ncRNAs and their involvement in RCC pathogenesis as well as their potential utility as future biomarkers in RCC diagnosis and treatment.

Oncogenic Role of PVT1 and Therapeutic Implications

PVT1, a long non-coding RNA has been implicated in a variety of human cancers. Recent advancements have led to increasing discovery of the critical roles of PVT1 in cancer initiation and progression. Novel insight is emerging about PVT1's mechanism of action in different cancers. Identifying and understanding the variety of activities of PVT1 involved in cancers is a necessity for the development of PVT1 as a diagnostic biomarker or therapeutic target in cancers where PVT1 is dysregulated. PVT1's varied activities include overexpression, modulation of miRNA expression, protein interactions, targeting of regulatory genes, formation of fusion genes, functioning as a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA), and interactions with MYC, among many others. Furthermore, bioinformatic analysis of PVT1 interactions in cancers has aided understanding of the numerous pathways involved in PVT1 contribution to carcinogenesis in a cancer type-specific manner. However, these recent findings show that there is much more to be learned to be able to fully exploit PVT1 for cancer prognostication and therapy. In this review, we summarize some of the latest findings on PVT1's oncogenic activities, signaling networks and how targeting these networks can be a strategy for cancer therapy.

Polymorphisms in the PVT1 Gene and Susceptibility to the Lung Cancer in a Chinese Northeast Population: a Case-control Study

Background: Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) PVT1 has been identified to be related to risk of a variety of cancers, such as gastric cancer, pancreatic cancer and follicular lymphoma. This study assesses the association between genetic polymorphisms of PVT1 and the susceptibility to lung cancer as well as gene-environmental interaction. Method: A hospital-based case-control study, including 515 lung cancer patients and 582 healthy controls, was carried out in Shenyang, China. Unconditional logistic regression analyses calculated the odds ratios (ORs) and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs) to assess the associations between polymorphisms of rs2608053, rs1561927, rs13254990 and susceptibility to lung cancer. The gene-environment interaction was evaluated by additive model and multiplicative model. Results: There were no statistically significant associations between rs2608053 and rs1561927 polymorphisms in PVT1 and risk of lung cancer in the overall population. The relationship between polymorphism rs13254990 in PVT1 gene and lung adenocarcinoma was significant. Composed with individuals carrying CC genotypes, TT genotype carriers were more likely to develop lung adenocarcinoma (adjusted OR=2.095; 95%CI=1.084-4.047, P=0.028). In the recessive model, it also showed a statistically significant difference (TT vs CT+CC: adjusted OR=2.251, 95%CI=1.174-4.318, P=0.015). In nonsmokers, individuals carrying genotype CT had a lower risk of lung cancer than those with CC genotype (adjusted OR=0.673, 95%CI=0.472-0.959, P=0.028). Comparing with the homozygous CC, the patients with the heterozygous CT had a lower risk of NCSLC in the non-smoking group (adjusted OR =0.685, 95%CI=0.477-0.984, P=0.040). Additionally, gene-environment interaction results were not statistically significant in either additive model or multiplicative model. Conclusion: The polymorphism rs13254990 in PVT1 gene is associated with the risk of lung adenocarcinoma in a Chinese northeast population.

Prognostic significance of long non-coding RNAs in clear cell renal cell carcinoma: A meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is the most common form of kidney cancer in adults, and patients with advanced ccRCC have a 5-year survival rate of <30%. The poor prognosis of ccRCC is closely related to its lacking of potential therapeutic and prognostic biomarkers. This meta-analysis aimed to elucidate the precise prognostic value of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in patients with ccRCC.

METHODS

A literature search was performed in related databases up to January 31, 2019. Hazard ratios (HRs) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated to explore the relationship between special lncRNAs expression and survival in patients with ccRCC.

RESULTS

After literature researching, a total of 16 studies, including 13 lncRNAs were identified. The data from studies that investigated the association between lncRNA expression and survival outcomes in patients with ccRCC were extracted. Results revealed that lncRNAs expression was significantly associated with poor overall survival (OS) outcome in patients with ccRCC (HR = 1.71, 95%CI = 1.40-2.01 in up-regulated subgroup; HR = 0.53, 95% CI = 0.25-0.80 in down-regulated subgroup). The overexpression of PVT1 was significantly associated with poor OS in ccRCC (HR = 1.51, 95% CI = 1.02-2.00). Meanwhile, up-regulation of LUCAT1 was significantly related to worse OS in ccRCC patients (HR = 1.51, 95% CI = 1.01-2.00).

CONCLUSIONS

These results suggest that lncRNAs could be used to predict unfavorable prognosis and function as potential prognostic biomarkers in ccRCC.

Comprehensive investigation of the clinical significance and molecular mechanisms of plasmacytoma variant translocation 1 in sarcoma using genome-wide RNA sequencing data

Objective: The present study aims to identify the potential clinical application and molecular mechanism of plasmacytoma variant translocation 1 (PVT1) in patients with sarcomas by mining an RNA sequencing dataset from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) through multiple genome-wide analysis approaches.

Methods: A genome-wide RNA sequencing dataset was downloaded from TCGA, survival analysis was used to evaluate the prognostic value of PVT1 in sarcoma. The potential mechanism was investigated by multiple tools: Database for Annotation, Visualization, and Integrated Discovery v6.8, gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA), and Connectivity Map (CMap).

Results: Comprehensive survival analysis indicated that overexpression of PVT1 was significantly associated with poor prognosis in patients with sarcoma, and nomogram demonstrated that PVT1 contributed more than other traditional clinical parameters in sarcoma survival prediction. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis identified ten hub differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between sarcoma tissues with low and overexpression of PVT1, and substantiated that these DEGs have a complex co-expression network relationship. CMap analysis has identified that antipyrine, ondansetron, and econazole may be candidate targeted drugs for sarcoma patients with PVT1 overexpression. GSEA revealed that overexpression of PVT1 may be involved in the posttranscriptional regulation of gene expression, tumor invasiveness and metastasis, osteoblast differentiation and development, apoptosis, nuclear factor kappa B, Wnt, and apoptotic related signaling pathways.

Conclusions: Our findings indicate that PVT1 may serve as a prognostic indicator in patients with sarcoma. Its underlying mechanism is revealed by GSEA, and CMap offers three candidate drugs for the individualized targeted therapy of sarcoma patients with overexpression of PVT1.

Regulatory Mechanisms and Clinical Applications of the Long Non-coding RNA PVT1 in Cancer Treatment

Cancer is the second leading cause of death worldwide, and no obvious decline in incidence and mortality has occurred in recent years. It is imperative to further investigate the mechanisms underlying tumor progression. Long non-coding RNAs have received considerable attention in recent years because of their major regulatory roles in gene expression. Among them, PVT1 is well-studied, and substantial evidence indicates that PVT1 plays critical roles in the onset and development of cancers. Normally, PVT1 acts as an oncogenic factor by promoting cancer cell proliferation, invasion, metastasis, and drug resistance. Herein, we summarize current knowledge regarding the regulatory effects of PVT1 in cancer progression, as well as the related underlying mechanisms, such as interaction with Myc, modulation of miRNAs, and regulation of gene transcription and protein expression. In extracellular fluid, PVT1 mainly promotes cancer initiation, and it normally enhances cellular cancer characteristics in the cytoplasm and cell nucleus. Regarding clinical applications, its role in drug resistance and its potential use as a diagnostic and prognostic marker have received increasing attention. We hope that this review will contribute to a better understanding of the regulatory role of PVT1 in cancer progression, paving the way for the development of PVT1-based therapeutic approaches in cancer treatment.

Characterization of Long Noncoding RNA and mRNA Profiles in Sepsis-Induced Myocardial Depression

Septic shock with heart dysfunction is very common in intensive care units. However, whether long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) and mRNA profiles differ between patients with and without myocardial depression is unknown. We generated rat models of hypodynamic septic shock induced by lipopolysaccharide. A total of 12 rat models was constructed and heart tissue from each was collected. Whole genomic RNA sequencing was performed on left ventricular tissue; 6,508 novel lncRNAs and 432 annotated lncRNAs were identified in heart samples, and 74 lncRNAs were expressed differently in the sepsis and control groups. Gene ontology term enrichment indicated apoptosis and its related pathways showed obvious enrichment, which suggested cell apoptosis could play a critical role in the process of myocardial depression. Furthermore, we focused on one lncRNA from the Pvt1 gene. By silencing this lncRNA, we demonstrated knockdown of Pvt1 expression could induce cell apoptosis in lipopolysaccharide-induced heart cells, through increasing the expression of c-Myc, Bid, Bax, and caspase-3 and decreasing the expression of Myd88 and Bcl-2, thereby proving its functional role in myocardial depression. These results demonstrate that lncRNAs both participate in and mediate the pathological process of myocardial depression. Our study improves the understanding of the basic molecular mechanisms underlying myocardial depression.

Long non-coding RNA PVT1 knockdown suppresses fibroblast-like synoviocyte inflammation and induces apoptosis in rheumatoid arthritis through demethylation of sirt6

Background

As a type of chronic autoimmune joint disease, rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a disorder, characterized by a variety of physical symptoms as well as RA fibroblast-like synoviocyte (RA-FLS) proliferation. More recently, long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been implicated in the progression of various diseases including the progression of RA. Hence, the aim of the current study was to investigate the role by which the lncRNA, plasmacytoma variant translocation 1 (PVT1), influences RA-FLSs and its ability to modulate the methylation of sirtuin 6 (sirt6).

Methods

RA rat models were initially established to determine the expression of PVT1 and sirt6 in synovial tissues and RA-FLSs. Elevation or depletion of PVT1 or sirt6 was achieved by means of transformation with plasmids in order to investigate their effects on RA-FLS proliferation, inflammation and apoptosis. The localization of PVT1 and its binding ability to the sirt6 promoter region were also explored in an attempt to elucidate the correlation between PVT1 and sirt6 methylation.

Results

High expression of PVT1 and low expression of sirt6 were detected in the synovial tissues and RA-FLSs of the rat models. RA-FLSs treated with sh-PVT1 or oe-sirt6 exhibited suppressed cell proliferation, inflammation and induced apoptosis. PVT1 was predominately localized in the nucleus while evidence was obtained indicating that it could bind to the sirt6 promoter to induce sirt6 methylation, thus inhibiting sirt6 transcription. PVT1 knockdown was observed to restore sirt6 expression through decreasing sirt6 methylation, thereby alleviating RA.

Conclusion

The key findings of the study provide evidence suggesting that, PVT1 knockdown is able to restrain RA progression by inhibiting sirt6 methylation to restore its expression.

Knockdown of long non-coding RNA PVT1 inhibits the proliferation of Raji cells through cell cycle regulation

Long non-coding RNA plasmacytoma variant translocation 1 (PVT1) has been reported to be associated with oncogenesis. However, the functional role of PVT1 in Burkitt lymphoma has not yet been addressed. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of PVT1 knockdown by small interfering RNA (siRNA) on the proliferation of Burkitt lymphoma Raji cells and to explore its possible mechanism of action. An effective siRNA targeting PVT1 was screened and the corresponding short hairpin RNA (shRNA) was reconstructed into a lentiviral vector. Cell proliferation and cell cycle distribution were assessed by Cell Counting kit-8 assay and flow cytometry, respectively. Protein expression levels of c-Myc, cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor1A (CDKN1A, P21) and cyclin E1 (CCNE1) were detected by western blotting. A polymerase chain reaction (PCR) array was used to analyse the expression of genes associated with the cell cycle. PVT1 knockdown markedly suppressed proliferation, and induced cell cycle arrest at the G₀/G₁ phase in Raji cells. Protein expression levels of c-Myc and CCNE1 were reduced, whereas P21 protein expression was markedly increased following downregulation of PVT1 in Raji cells. The cell cycle PCR array revealed that 54 genes were upregulated and 26 genes were downregulated in Raji cells following PVT1 knockdown. Reverse transcription-quantitative PCR demonstrated that cyclin G2 (CCNG2), CDKN1A, Retinoblastoma-like 2 (RBL2, p130), HUS1 checkpoint homolog, cyclin dependent kinase inhibitor 3 (CDKN3) and cyclin dependent kinase inhibitor 1B (CDKN1B) expression were upregulated, whereas the expression levels of CCNE1, cyclin D1 (CCND1) and cell division cycle 20 (CDC20) were downregulated in Raji cells with PVT1 knockdown. In conclusion, PVT1 knockdown may inhibit the proliferation of Raji cells by arresting cells in G₀/G₁ phase. Furthermore, inhibition of cell proliferation may be associated with a reduction inc-Myc expression and alterations in the expression levels of cell cycle-associated genes.

High Expression of long non-coding RNA PVT1 predicts metastasis in Han and Uygur Patients with Gastric Cancer in Xinjiang, China

To analyze the level and diagnostic value of plasmacytoma variant translocation 1 (PVT1) in gastric cancer (GC) of Han and Uygur in Xinjiang, China, we collected 42 GC and 47 normal gastric tissues and performed tissue microarray. In situ hybridization was used to detect PVT1, while immunohistochemistry was used to analyze c-myc. The relationship between PVT1, c-myc and clinical pathological features was investigated. We then analyzed the expression of PVT1 in six GC cell lines. RNA interference was used to silence PVT1 in BGC823 and AGS cells. c-myc was detected by western blotting after silencing PVT1, while proliferation, invasion and migration ability were also analyzed. We found that PVT1 and c-myc were highly expressed in both Han and Uygur GC tissues. In Han GC, PVT1 was correlated with lymph node metastasis and primary tumor site. In Uygur GC, both PVT1 and c-myc were correlated with lymph node metastasis and clinical staging. PVT1 was positively correlated with c-myc. BGC823 and AGS cells exhibited high levels of PVT1. When PVT1 expression was silenced, the expression of c-myc decreased, while migration and invasion ability were also decreased in cells. PVT1 could therefore be a potential biomarker to predict the metastatic tendency of GC in both Han and Uygur patients.