Linc00152 promotes cancer progression in hepatitis B virus-associated hepatocellular carcinoma.
BACKGROUND
The X protein (HBx) plays as a key role in hepatocarcinogenesis associated with hepatitis B virus (HBV) infections. The study aimed to figure out the role of Linc00152 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and the association between the expression levels of Linc00152 and HBx.


METHODS
QRT-PCR assays were applied to analyzed the expression levels of Linc00152 and HBx. Kaplan-Meier survival curve was performed to identify the association between LINC00152 and the over survival time (OS) in HCC patients. Cell growth and invasion ability was evaluated by CCK8 cell proliferation and transwell invasion assays. Western-blot analysis was detected the protein expression. RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP), RNA-pull down and chromatin Immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assays was also been carried out.


RESULTS
We demonstrated that LINC00152 expression in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients was significantly higher compared with adjacent non-tumour tissues and positively correlated with tumor size, HBV infection (HBsAg) and tumor number. Patient with hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection HCC was higher expression than that without HBV. Furthermore, the expression levels of Linc00152 were positively correlated with HBx expression in HCC tissues and higher Linc00152 expression levels were correlated with poor prognosis of HCC patients. In vitro, Linc00152 was up-regulated in Huh-7 and SM7721 cells after overexpression of HBx and down-regulated after silencing HBx. Furthermore, silencing Linc00152 suppressed the cell proliferation and invasion. Moreover, we found that Linc00152 inhibited the E-cadherin expression via interacting with EZH2 and promoted the Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) phenomenon in HCC cells.


CONCLUSIONS
These results suggested that HBx enhanced LINC00152 expression and inhibition of LINC00152 could provide a therapeutic target for HCC.
Infectious Diseases Laboratory, Ruikang Hospital Affiliated to Guangxi University of Chinese Medicine, Nanning, Guangxi, China.
Xin
X
Deng
Infectious Diseases Laboratory, Ruikang Hospital Affiliated to Guangxi University of Chinese Medicine, Nanning, Guangxi, China.
Xiao Fang
XF
Zhao
Infectious Diseases Laboratory, Ruikang Hospital Affiliated to Guangxi University of Chinese Medicine, Nanning, Guangxi, China.
Xing Qiu
XQ
Liang
Department of Gastroenterology, the first affiliated Hospital of Guangxi University of Chinese Medicine, Nanning, Guangxi, China.
Ran
R
Chen
Hepatobiliary Intestine Research Center, XiangYa School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, China.
Yi Feng
YF
Pan
Infectious Diseases Laboratory, Ruikang Hospital Affiliated to Guangxi University of Chinese Medicine, Nanning, Guangxi, China. Electronic address: liangjian2203@126.com.
Jian
J
Liang
D015820:Cadherins / Q000235:genetics; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000235:genetics* / Q000821:virology*; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D002465:Cell Movement / Q000235:genetics; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000235:genetics; D018450:Disease Progression; D015536:Down-Regulation / Q000235:genetics; D058750:Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic / Q000235:genetics; D056945:Hep G2 Cells; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000235:genetics / Q000821:virology; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens / Q000235:genetics; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000821:virology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D062085:RNA, Long Noncoding / Q000235:genetics*; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000235:genetics; D015534:Trans-Activators / Q000235:genetics; D015854:Up-Regulation / Q000235:genetics; D054334:Viral Regulatory and Accessory Proteins
D015820:Cadherins; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens; D062085:RNA, Long Noncoding; D015534:Trans-Activators; D054334:Viral Regulatory and Accessory Proteins; C057628:hepatitis B virus X protein; C000608524:long non-coding RNA Linc00152, human
EZH2; Epithelial-mesenchymal transition; HBx; Linc00152; ：Hepatocellular carcinoma