Background: Ewing sarcoma-associated transcript 1 (EWSAT1 ) has been reported to be a pivotal modulator in a series of cancers. However, the function of EWSAT1  in colorectal cancer (CRC) has not been elaborated. This study aimed to explore the role of EWSAT1  in CRC progression and the underlying mechanisms.
Methods: The expression patterns of EWSAT1 , miR-326  and FBXL20  were examined by qCRCR. Si-EWSAT1 was transfected to study the effects of EWSAT1  on cell proliferation and metastasis. Rescue experiments were performed to investigate the underlying mechanisms in vitro. Xenograft models were used to evaluate the role of EWSAT1  in vivo.
Results: We found that EWSAT1  was highly expressed in CRC tissues and cell lines and associated with poor overall survival. In vitro, knockdown of EWSAT1  suppressed the cell proliferation, migration and invasion. Moreover, miR-326 was found to be a target of EWSAT1 , and miR-326  inhibitor could partially reverse the effects on CRC cell progression induced by si-EWSAT1. Subsequently, we validated FBXL20  as a vital downstream target for miR-326 , and EWSAT1  positively regulated FBXL20  via miR-326  in vitro. In addition, these findings were confirmed by in vivo experiments.
Conclusion: Taken together, the data showed that EWSAT1  promoted CRC progression via targeting miR-326/FBXL20  pathway, which might provide a novel therapeutic target for CRC treatment.
Keywords: lncRNA EWSAT1 , colorectal cancer, CRC, miR-326 , FBXL20