Up-Regulation of TPT1-AS1 and SAMMSON and Down-Regulation of LINC00961 Long Non-Coding RNAs (lncRNAs) as Potential Tumor Markers in Gastric Cancer

Gastric Cancer (GC) is one of the deadliest cancers in the world. Recently, LINC00961, TPT1-AS1, and SAMMSON Long non-coding RNA (lncRNAs)have been discovered, which significantly contribute to the occurrence of various cancers. This study aimed to determine the expression levels of these genes in GC tissues, compared to healthy adjacent tissues, and the relationship of their expressions with clinical characteristics.

In this case-control study, the expression of LINC00961, SAMMSON, and TPT1-AS1 were evaluated in 40 pairs of cancerous and adjacent non-cancerous tissue samples in GC patients using qRT-PCR. Statistical analysis and graphing of the relationship between RNA levels and the clinic-pathological characteristics of GC were carried out using SPSS and Prism 5.00 software. Furthermore, Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve was drawn to represent the sensitivity and specificity of LINC00961, SAMMSON, and TPT1-AS1 expression as biomarkers of GC.

The expression of TPT1-AS1 and SAMMSON were significantly up-regulated, and the expression of LINC00961 was significantly decreased in GC specimens, compared to adjacent control samples. Our results showed that TPT1-AS1 and SAMMSON RNA levels in GC were significantly related to the tumor size and histopathological grade. Moreover, the ROC curve analysis of LINC00961 and SAMMSON RNA level demonstrated that these two lncRNAs had an appropriate sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis goals.

Based on the results, LINC00961, SAMMSON, and TPT1-AS1 may play critical roles in exacerbating and even initiating GC due to their cellular pathways.