title: lincRNA-p21 inhibits invasion and metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma through Notch signaling-induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Emerging evidence has showed that long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) play an important role in the occurrence and development of various cancers. In the present study, the expression level of lincRNA-p21 was investigated in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and its role in invasion of HCC was also explored.
  
  
  METHODS
  The lincRNA-p21 levels in human HCC tumor tissue and cell lines HepG2 and SMMC-7721 were determined by real-time polymerase chain reaction. Transfected HCC cells with pcDNA-lincRNA-p21 or si-lincRNA-p21 for overexpression or downregulation of lincRNA-p21, the Notch signaling and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-related proteins and cell invasion were measured by western blot and Transwell assay, respectively. A tumor xenotransplant mouse model was also established to investigate the role of lincRNA-p21 in tumor metastasis in vivo.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The lincRNA-p21 expression was downregulated in HCC tissue and cells. Overexpression of lincRNA-p21 inhibited Notch singling and EMT, while its downregulation led to the reverse result. The invasion of HCC cell was also inhibited by pcDNA-lincRNA-p21, and activation of Notch signaling reversed this effect. In vivo, overexpression of lincRNA-p21 decreased the tumor metastasis, as well.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  lincRNA-p21 was downregulated in HCC and lincRNA-p21 overexpression contributed to the inhibition of tumor invasion through mediating Notch signaling induced EMT.
authors.affiliation: Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreas Surgery, People's Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Henan Province People's Hospital, Zhengzhou, China.
authors.forename: Meng
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jia
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology, People's Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Henan Province People's Hospital, Zhengzhou, China.
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.affiliation: Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreas Surgery, People's Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Henan Province People's Hospital, Zhengzhou, China.
authors.forename: Ya-Dong
authors.initials: YD
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreas Surgery, People's Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Henan Province People's Hospital, Zhengzhou, China.
authors.forename: Jin-Zhao
authors.initials: JZ
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreas Surgery, People's Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Henan Province People's Hospital, Zhengzhou, China.
authors.forename: Miao
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreas Surgery, People's Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Henan Province People's Hospital, Zhengzhou, China. huanzhoux@163.com.
authors.forename: Huan-Zhou
authors.initials: HZ
authors.lastname: Xue
keywords: epithelial-mesenchymal transition; hepatocellular carcinoma; long non-coding RNA; notch