LINC01290 suppresses oral squamous cell carcinoma aggressiveness via the miR-650/IL1RN axis

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is a common malignant neoplasm of the head and neck. It exhibits aggressive invasive potential, and patients with advanced-stage disease tend to have poor overall survival rates. This study aimed to explore the expression levels and prognostic value of long non-coding RNA LINC01290 in OSCC and to clarify how this transcript modulates the malignant behaviors of OSCC cells. A total of 127 OSCC clinical specimens were enrolled, with matched tumor and adjacent non-tumor tissue specimens collected. RT-qPCR was adopted to quantify the expression of three molecules in clinical tissues and multiple OSCC cell lines. CCK-8 assays were performed to measure cell viability, Transwell assays were applied to evaluate cell migration and invasion capacities, and Western blot analysis was conducted to detect the expression levels of related proteins. Dual-luciferase reporter assays and Ago2-RIP assays were implemented to verify the targeted interplay among these genes. LINC01290 and interleukin 1 receptor antagonist (IL1RN) presented distinctly reduced expression levels, while microRNA-650 (miR-650) displayed increased levels in OSCC tissues and cell lines. Low LINC01290 levels represented an independent prognostic indicator for OSCC. In vitro assays confirmed that LINC01290 suppressed proliferation, migration, and invasion of OSCC cells. LINC01290 targeted and negatively regulated miR-650, and miR-650 further downregulated IL1RN. Rescue experiments demonstrated that miR-650 partially counteracted the tumor-inhibitory effects of LINC01290, and IL1RN overexpression reversed the oncogenic phenotypes induced by miR-650. LINC01290 upregulated IL1RN expression by sponging miR-650 and blocked malignant progression of OSCC. This transcript functioned as a prognostic biomarker and a potential therapeutic target for OSCC. N/A.