Increasing evidences demonstrated that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are frequently dysregulated and have critical roles in many
tumors. However, the roles and functional mechanisms of lncRNAs in
melanoma remain largely unknown. In this study, we identified a novel
lncRNA MHENCR which was upregulated in
melanoma tissues and further upregulated in metastatic
melanoma. Increased expression of MHENCR indicted poor survival of
melanoma patients. Functional experiments revealed that MHENCR knockdown significantly inhibited
melanoma cells proliferation, induced cell cycle arrest and apoptosis, and also attenuated
melanoma cells migration in vitro. Furthermore, we identified MHENCR as a competitively endogenous
RNA, which specifically bound to miR-425 and miR-489, upregulated their target genes IGF1 and SPIN1 expression, and further activated PI3K-Akt pathway. Statistically significant correlations were observed between MHENCR expression and IGF1 and SPIN1 in
melanoma tissues. In vivo functional experiments further confirmed the pro-growth and pro-
metastasis roles of MHENCR. Collectively, our findings revealed that MHENCR functions as an oncogene in
melanoma via activating miR-425/489-mediated PI3K-Akt pathway, and may be a therapeutic target for
melanoma.