Downregulation of lncRNA MIR17HG reduced tumorigenicity and Treg‐mediated immune escape of non‐small‐cell lung cancer cells through targeting the miR‐17‐5p/RUNX3 axis

Abstract Long noncoding RNA MIR17HG was involved with the progression of non‐small‐cell lung cancer (NSCLC), but specific mechanisms of MIR17HG‐mediated immune escape of NSCLC cells were still unknown. The present study investigated the function of MIR17HG on regulatory T cell (Treg)‐mediated immune escape and the underlying mechanisms in NSCLC. Expression of MIR17HG and miR‐17‐5p in NSCLC tissue samples were detected using quantitative real‐time PCR (qRT‐PCR). A549 and H1299 cells were transfected with sh‐MIR17HG, miR‐17‐5p inhibitor, or sh‐MIR17HG + miR‐17‐5p inhibitor, followed by cocultured with Tregs. Cell proliferation was measured using 5‐ethynyl‐20‐deoxyuridine (Edu) staining assay and cell counting kit‐8 (CCK‐8) assay. Flow cytometry was used for determining positive numbers of FOXP3 + CD4 + /CD25 + /CD8 + Tregs. Through subcutaneous injection with transfected A549 cells, a xenograft nude mouse model was established. Weights and volumes of xenograft tumors were evaluated. Additionally, the expressions of immune‐related factors including transforming growth factor beta (TGF‐β), vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF‐A), interleukin‐10 (IL‐10), IL‐4, and interferon‐gamma (IFN‐γ) in cultured cells, were evaluated by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay and western blot analysis. Then, miR‐17‐5p was decreased and MIR17HG was enhanced in both NSCLC tissues and cell lines. MIR17HG knockdown significantly suppressed cell proliferation, tumorigenicity, and immune capacity of Tregs in A549 and H1299 cells, whereas sh‐MIR17HG significantly reduced expression levels of VEGF‐A, TGF‐β, IL‐4, and IL‐10 but promoted the IFN‐γ level in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, downregulation of miR‐17‐5p significantly reversed the effects of sh‐MIR17HG. Additionally, we identified that runt‐ related transcription factor 3 (RUNX3) was a target of miR‐17‐5p, and sh‐MIR17HG and miR‐17‐5p mimics downregulated RUNX3 expression. In conclusion, downregulation of MIR17HG suppresses tumorigenicity and Treg‐mediated immune escape in NSCLC through downregulating the miR‐17‐5p/RUNX3 axis, indicating that this axis contains potential biomarkers for NSCLC.