LncRNA BACE1-AS Accelerates the Progression of Gastric Cancer Through Regulating as a ceRNA of miR-422a to Positively Control BRD4 Expression

Gastric cancer (GC) is a leading global cause of cancer-related mortality, necessitating urgent research on its pathogenesis, prevention, and treatment. In this study, we investigated the expressions of LncRNA BACE1-AS, mRNA BRD4, and miR-422a in GES-1 and GC cells under various treatments using RT-PCR. Western Blots confirmed protein expressions in HGC-27 and SNU-1 cells. EDU and MTT assays assessed cell proliferation, while Transwell tests determined invasion capacity, and flow cytometry analyzed apoptosis. BACE1-AS and BRD4 were significantly elevated in cancerous tissues compared to paired non-cancerous tissues. BACE1-AS knockdown inhibited invasion and proliferation, promoting apoptosis. miR-422a mimics suppressed proliferation and invasion while enhancing apoptosis, and miR-422a mimics with BRD4 overexpression had the opposite effect. Moreover, BAX protein increased in the si-BACE1-AS group but decreased in the si-BACE1-AS+miR-422a inhibitor group. Si-BACE1-AS and miR-422a mimics reduced the expression of C-Myc, CyclinD1, Survivin, CDK4, and Bcl-2, while the si-BACE1-AS+miR-422a inhibitor and miR-422a mimics+BRD4-OV groups showed the opposite trend. Our findings suggest that LncRNA BACE1-AS positively regulates gastric cancer progression by modulating BRD4 as a competitive endogenous RNA for miR-422a. This LncRNA BACE1-AS/BRD4/miR-422a signaling axis presents potential targets for developing therapeutic strategies against gastric cancer.