Here, we showed that PVT1 expression is significantly up-regulated in ESCC tumor samples compared with their normal counterparts. Knockdown of PVT1 suppressed tumor growth in vitro and in vivo. Further studies revealed that silence of PVT1 lead to up-regulation of miR-203, and vice versa. Moreover, LASP1 was found to be downregulated after knockdown of PVT1 and overexpression of LASP1 attenuated the tumor-suppressive roles of PVT1 knockdown.

Upregulation of the long non-coding RNA PVT1 promotes esophageal squamous cell carcinoma progression by acting as a molecular sponge of miR-203 and LASP1.