title: HOX Antisense lincRNA HOXA-AS2 Promotes Tumorigenesis of Hepatocellular Carcinoma.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Recent studies reveal that long non-coding RNAs (LncRNAs) play critical roles in the proliferation and migration of human cancer. Previous report has shown that LncRNA HOXA-AS2 was involved in carcinoma processes. However, the expression and biological function of HOXA-AS2 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are poorly understood.
  
  
  METHODS
  Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) was performed to detect the expression of HOXA-AS2 in HCC tissues and cell lines. The relation between lncRNA HOXA-AS2 expression and clinicopathological characteristics was assessed by chi-square test. The prognosis was analyzed using Kaplan-Meier method, and compared differences between the two groups by log-rank test. The biological function of HOXA-AS2 on HCC cells were determined both in vitro and in vivo.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the present study, we found that HOXA-AS2 expression was increased in HCC tissues and adjacent normal tissues and high HOXA-AS2 expression was associated with bigger tumor size, advanced tumor stage, and shorter survival time. Knockdown of HOXA-AS2 significantly inhibited HCC cell proliferation and invasion and resulted in an increase of apoptosis. Furthermore, inhibition of HOXA-AS2 in HCC cells significantly repressed tumorigenicity in nude mice.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results indicated that the inhibition of HOXA-AS2 in HCC cells significantly inhibited cell proliferation in vitro and in vivo, which might provide a potential possibility for targeted therapy of HCC.
authors.affiliation: Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Zhongshan Hospital of Xiamen University, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Chronic Liver Disease and Hepatocellular Carcinoma, Xiamen, Fujian, China.
authors.forename: Fuqiang
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Huili
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Zhigang
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Deng
authors.forename: Yongjie
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Su
authors.forename: QinLiang
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Fang
authors.forename: Zhenyu
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Yin
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D063646:Carcinogenesis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology*; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D002465:Cell Movement / Q000235:genetics; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D002999:Clone Cells; D005260:Female; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D055785:Gene Knockdown Techniques; D020868:Gene Silencing; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008819:Mice, Nude; D008875:Middle Aged; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D011379:Prognosis; D062085:RNA, Long Noncoding / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D015854:Up-Regulation / Q000235:genetics; D023041:Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays
chemical_list: D062085:RNA, Long Noncoding; C000614090:long noncoding RNA HOXA-AS2, human