Knockdown of long non-coding RNA AFAP1-AS1 inhibits growth and promotes apoptosis in pituitary adenomas

Recent studies have reported that the long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) AFAP antisense RNA 1 (AFAP1-AS1) is involved in various biological processes and plays a key role in regulating cancer growth and metastasis in humans. However, its effects on tumorigenesis in pituitary adenomas remain unclear. The present study investigated the expression and biological role of AFAP1-AS1 in pituitary adenomas. We observed that the expression of AFAP1-AS1 was considerably higher in the pituitary adenoma tissues as compared to its expression in the adjacent tissues. Additionally, knockdown of AFAP1-AS1 inhibited the proliferation, arrested the cell cycle in the G1-to-S transition phase, and promoted apoptosis in GH3 and MMQ cells. Finally, knockdown of AFAP1-AS1 also promoted the expression of PTEN and inhibited the expression of PI3K and p-AKT. Our results provided novel insights into the function and mechanism of action of AFAP1-AS1 in the pathogenesis of pituitary adenomas.