LncRNA miR17HG promotes tumor progression through AXIN2 by sponging miR-144-3p in bladder cancer

Sep 22, 2026

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Long non-coding RNA lncRNA miR17HG is implicated in tumorigenesis across multiple cancer types, but its specific role in bladder cancer (BC) remains unclear. A study examined how lncRNA miR17HG influences BC proliferation and metastasis and defined its molecular mechanism. BC and matched adjacent tissues were tested using functional assays, RT-qPCR, and western blotting, while luciferase reporter assays evaluated interactions among lncRNA miR17HG, miR-144-3p, and AXIN2. Findings showed lncRNA miR17HG and miR-144-3p upregulation, AXIN2 downregulation, and that miR-144-3p regulation mediates tumor growth in vitro and in xenograft models. The results support a lncRNA miR17HG/miR-144-3p/AXIN2 axis as a potential therapeutic target.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

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Pages13

Reading Time33 min

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Abstract

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Materials and Methods

Chen et al. World Journal of Surgical Oncology (2026) 24:140 [https://doi.org/10.1186/s12957-026-04246-1](https://doi.org/10.1186/s12957-026-04246-1) World Journal of Surgical Oncology RESEARCH Open Access LncRNA miR17HG promotes tumor progression through AXIN2 by sponging miR- 144-3p in bladder cancer Qiong Chen1, Keming Wu2, Bing Cai2, Xiuxiu Yu2, Xiaoyan Zhang2 andYu Yang2,3* Abstract Background Accumulating evidence indicates that long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) miR17HG plays important roles in tumorigenesis in various cancers. However, its underlying effect on bladder cancer (BC) remains to be explored. Objective This study aims to elucidate the function and molecular mechanisms of lncRNA miR17HG in the proliferation and metastasis of BC. Methods BC tissues and matched para-cancerous tissues were collected from our hospital. Oncology functional assays, quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction, and western blotting were conducted to confirm the role of lncRNA miR17HG in BC development. The interations among lncRNA miR17HG, miR-144-3p and AXIN2 were verified via luciferase reporter assay. Nude mouse subcutaneous tumor models were established to investigate the effect of lncRNA miR17HG on BC tumor growth. Results LncRNA miR17HG and miR-144-3p were significantly upregulated, while AXIN2 was downregulated in BC tissues. Knockdown of lncRNA miR17HG or inhibition of miR-144-3p suppressed cell proliferation, migration and invasion, whereas miR-144-3p mimic exerted the opposite effects. Mechanistically, lncRNA miR17HG sponged miR- 144-3p to regulate the expression of AXIN2 . Furthermore, lncRNA miR17HG knockdown effectively suppressed tumor xenograft growth in mice. Conclusion In summary, this study identifies a novel lncRNA miR17HG/miR-144-3p/AXIN2 pathway in BC and demonstrate that this regulatory axis may serve as a promising therapeutic target for BC. Keywords Bladder cancer, LncRNA miR17HG, miR-144-3p, AXIN2, Metastasis *Correspondence: Yu Yang [yangyuwenzhou@163.com](yangyuwenzhou@163.com) 1Department of Hospital Infection Control and Management, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou 325000, Zhejiang, China 2Department of Urology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou 325000, Zhejiang, China 3Department of Urology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Nanbaixiang Street, Wenzhou City 325000, Zhejiang Province, China © The Author(s) 2026. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License, which permits any non-commercial use, sharing, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if you modified the licensed material. You do not have permission under this licence to share adapted material derived from this article or parts of it. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit [http://creati](http://creati)[vecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/](vecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/.)[.](vecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/.) Chen et al. World Journal of Surgical Oncology (2026) 24:140 Instruction Bladder cancer (BC) is one of the ten most common malignancies and its mortality ranks the highest among all urogenital cancer [1]. In 2020, nearly 600,000 new BC cases and 213,000 deaths were reported in the world [2]. Although multiple treatments are available (including sur

FAQs

What is the main research question about lncRNA miR17HG in bladder cancer?

The study investigates how lncRNA miR17HG affects bladder cancer proliferation and metastasis, and what molecular mechanism drives these effects.

How did the researchers test the role of lncRNA miR17HG, miR-144-3p, and AXIN2?

They used functional assays, RT-qPCR, and western blotting, and employed a luciferase reporter assay to verify interactions among lncRNA miR17HG, miR-144-3p, and AXIN2.

What mechanism did the study propose for how lncRNA miR17HG regulates tumor progression?

LncRNA miR17HG acts as a sponge for miR-144-3p, which in turn regulates AXIN2 expression, influencing proliferation, migration, and invasion.

Sep 22, 2026

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