Figure 5. LINC00968 inhibits tumor development via sponging miR-21-5p/SMAD7 axis. The miR-21-5p mimics significantly increased cell proliferation (A), colony-forming ability (C), invasion, and migration (E), and also partially attenuated the inhibitory effects of LINC00968 over-expression. SMAD7 knockdown enhanced cell proliferation (B), colony-forming ability (D), invasion, and migration (F), and also partially attenuated the inhibitory effects of LINC00968 over-expression. **P<0.01, ***P<0.001.