BACKGROUND: As a kind of benign tumor, pituitary adenomas have attracted increasing attention from researchers. The plasmacytoma variant translocation 1 (PVT1) is a molecule in the lncRNA family protein that has been proven to play critical roles in many cancers; however, no study has explored the special biological roles of PVT1 in pituitary adenoma.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: The qRT-PCR assay was conducted to evaluate PVT1 expressions in various cell lines and tissues. Loss of function assays were carried out to detect the influence of silenced PVT1 on the proliferation, migration, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of pituitary adenoma cells. Western blotting was used to identify correlation between β-catenin and PVT1.

RESULTS: The PVT1 expressions were significantly enhanced in tissues of pituitary adenoma and cancer cells. Cell migration and proliferation were inhibited when the PVT1 gene was knocked down. Knockdown of PVT1 repressed the migration and EMT of pituitary adenoma cells. The PVT1 downregulation obviously blocked Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway activity. PVT1 aggravated progression of pituitary adenoma through initiating the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway.

CONCLUSIONS: PVT1 exerts an oncogenic role through activating Wnt/β-catenin signaling in pituitary adenoma cells. The present results may provide a potential therapeutic target or approach for treating pituitary adenomas.

Keywords: alpha Catenin, Genes, myc, Pituitary Neoplasms, Adenoma, Biomarkers, Tumor, Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc, RNA, Small Interfering, beta Catenin