The long non-coding RNA MEG3 inhibits oral squamous cell carcinoma progression via GATA3.

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) accounts for about 90% of oral cancer. Expression of the long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) maternally expressed 3 (MEG3) has previously been reported to be downregulated in OSCC, and its overexpression can inhibit proliferation, migration, and invasion and promote apoptosis of OSCC cells. However, the mechanism underlying MEG3 downregulation in OSCC has not been well characterized. Here, we report that low expression of MEG3 is caused by H3K27me3 modification of the MEG3 gene locus, and this is associated with poor prognosis of OSCC. Overexpression of MEG3 inhibited the proliferation and invasion of OSCC cells. We observed that MEG3 was modified by m6A and bound to YTHDC1. Enhancer-controlled genes positively regulated by MEG3 were functionally enriched for the "negative regulation of Wnt signaling pathway" term, as determined using Metascape. GATA3 was predicted to be a transcription factor for these genes, and was demonstrated to bind to MEG3. Knockdown of GATA3 countered the effects on proliferation, invasion, and increased transcription of HIC1 and PRICKLE1 induced by MEG3 overexpression. In conclusion, our data suggest MEG3 is downregulated in OSCC due to tri-methylation of H3K27 at the MEG3 gene locus. The inhibitory effect of MEG3 on proliferation and invasion of OSCC cells was dependent on the binding of GATA3.