Cigarette smoking is a primary risk factor for the development of lung cancer, which is regarded as the leading cause of cancer-related deaths. The process of malignant transformation of cells, however, is complex and elusive. The present study investigated the roles of an lncRNA, CCAT1, and a transcriptional factor, c-Myc, in human bronchial epithelial (HBE) cell transformation induced by cigarette smoke extract. With acute and chronic treatment of HBE cells, cigarette smoke extract induced increases of CCAT1 and c-Myc levels and decreases of levels of let-7c, a microRNA. Down-regulation of c-Myc reduced the degree of malignancy and the invasion/migration capacity of HBE cells transformed by cigarette smoke extract. ChIP assays established that c-Myc, increased by cigarette smoke extract, binds to the promoter of CCAT1, activating its transcription. Further, let-7c suppressed the expression of c-Myc through binding to its 3'-UTR. In turn, CCAT1 promoted the accumulation of c-Myc through binding to let-7c and decreasing free let-7c, which influenced the neoplastic capacity of HBE cells transformed by cigarette smoke extract. These results indicate that a positive feedback loop ensures expression of cigarette smoke extract-induced CCAT1 and c-Myc via let-7c, which is involved in cigarette smoke extract-induced malignant transformation of HBE cells. Thus, the present research establishes a new mechanism for the reciprocal regulation between CCAT1 and c-Myc and provides an understanding of cigarette smoke extract-induced lung carcinogenesis.
Keywords: carcinogenesis; cigarette smoke extract (CSE); lncRNAs; lung cancer; miRNAs.