TOB1‑AS1 suppresses non‑small cell lung cancer cell migration and invasion through a ceRNA network

Non‑small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the leading cause of lung cancer‑associated mortality. Recent studies revealed that long non‑coding (lnc)RNAs have crucial roles in human cancers. The present study was the first, to the best of our knowledge, to indicate that the lncRNA transducer of ERBB2, 1‑antisense 1 (TOB1‑AS1) acts as a tumor suppressor in NSCLC. Knockdown of TOB1‑AS1 significantly induced NSCLC cell migration, invasion and proliferation. It was also demonstrated that the higher expression of TOB1‑AS1 in NSCLC samples was associated with longer overall survival time. Furthermore, a TOB1‑AS1‑mediated competing endogenous RNA network in NSCLC was constructed, including Homo sapiens (hsa)‑microRNA (miR)‑27a‑3p, hsa‑miR‑23a‑3p, hsa‑miR‑23b‑3p, hsa‑miR‑27b‑3p, hsa‑miR‑23c, dynein cytoplasmic 2 light intermediate chain 1, E4F transcription factor 1, TSPY‑like 4, component of oligomeric Golgi complex 7, inositol hexakisphosphate kinase 2 and deltex E3 ubiquitin ligase 3. Of note, dysregulation of targets of TOB1‑AS1 was associated with the prognosis of NSCLC patients. The present study suggested that TOB1‑AS1 may serve as a novel biomarker for NSCLC.