These results confirmed that LINC00665 destabilized MTF1 mRNA by forming a complex with STAU1 to recruit UPF1. Thus, we next investigated whether MTF1 could rescue the LINC00665-induced inhibition of the malignant progression of glioma cells. The LINC00665+ + MTF1− group showed a decreased proliferation rate, increased apoptosis rate, and reduced migration and invasion capacity compared with those of the LINC00665+ + MTF1+ group. In contrast, the LINC00665− + MTF1+ group showed significantly enhanced proliferation, migration, and invasion, with reduced apoptosis compared with those of the LINC00665− + MTF1− group (Figures 3G–3I). These results indicated that LINC00665 could inhibit the malignant behaviors of glioma cells via STAU1-mediated MTF1 mRNA degradation.
