title: Critical role for the long non-coding RNA AFAP1-AS1 in the proliferation and metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma.
abstract: Increasing evidence has indicated that dysregulation of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) can contribute to the progression and metastasis of human cancer, including HCC. Previous studies have shown that the lncRNA AFAP1-AS1 plays a critical role in cancer. However, the roles of AFAP1-AS1 in HCC remain to be determined. In the present study, AFAP1-AS1 was found to be increased in HCC tissues, and high AFAP1-AS1 expression was associated with tumor size, TNM stage, vascular invasion, and poor prognosis. Silencing of AFAP1-AS1 significantly reduced cell proliferation, clonal growth, cell migration, and invasion and increased apoptosis in vitro. Furthermore, AFAP1-AS1 silencing markedly reduced tumor growth in a murine allograft model in vivo. The results suggested that AFAP1-AS1 is important in HCC development and serves as a therapeutic target of HCC.
authors.affiliation: Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Jianshe East Road No. 1, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450052, China.|Key Laboratory of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery and Digestive Organ Transplantation of Henan Province, Jianshe East Road No. 1, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450052, China.
authors.forename: Xu
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.affiliation: Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Jianshe East Road No. 1, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450052, China.|Key Laboratory of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery and Digestive Organ Transplantation of Henan Province, Jianshe East Road No. 1, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450052, China.
authors.forename: Chuang
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Jianshe East Road No. 1, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450052, China.|Key Laboratory of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery and Digestive Organ Transplantation of Henan Province, Jianshe East Road No. 1, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450052, China.
authors.forename: Renfeng
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Jianshe East Road No. 1, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450052, China.|Key Laboratory of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery and Digestive Organ Transplantation of Henan Province, Jianshe East Road No. 1, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450052, China.
authors.forename: Zhiwei
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.affiliation: Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Jianshe East Road No. 1, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450052, China.|Key Laboratory of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery and Digestive Organ Transplantation of Henan Province, Jianshe East Road No. 1, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450052, China.
authors.forename: Wenlong
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhai
authors.affiliation: Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Jianshe East Road No. 1, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450052, China.|Key Laboratory of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery and Digestive Organ Transplantation of Henan Province, Jianshe East Road No. 1, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450052, China.
authors.forename: Longshuan
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Jianshe East Road No. 1, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450052, China. zhangshuijun66@126.com.|Key Laboratory of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery and Digestive Organ Transplantation of Henan Province, Jianshe East Road No. 1, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450052, China. zhangshuijun66@126.com.
authors.forename: Shuijun
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000235:genetics*; D015153:Blotting, Western; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000556:secondary*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002465:Cell Movement; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008819:Mice, Nude; D008875:Middle Aged; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D062085:RNA, Long Noncoding / Q000235:genetics*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured; D023041:Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays
chemical_list: C000605367:AFAP1-AS1 long noncoding RNA, human; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D062085:RNA, Long Noncoding; D012333:RNA, Messenger
keywords: AFAP1-AS1; HCC; Invasion; Prognosis; Proliferation