Shuai Xue: Department of Health Care, Qilu Hospital (Qingdao), Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Qingdao, 266035, China.
Fengqin Lu: Department of Geratology, Jinan Zhangqiu District Hospital of TCM, Jinan, 250200, China.
Chunhui Sun: Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, The Third People's Hospital of Qingdao, Qingdao, 266041, China.
Jingjing Zhao: Department of Surgery, Zhangqiu District People's Hospital, Jinan, 250200, China.
Honghua Zhen: Department of Respiratory, Zhangqiu District People's Hospital, Jinan, 250200, China.
Xin Li: Health Care Office, Qingdao Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Qingdao Hiser Hospital, No.4 Renmin Road, Shibei District, Qingdao, 266033, China. itb52q@163.com. ORCID
BACKGROUND: It has been reported that long-chain non-coding RNA (lncRNA) zinc finger E-box binding homeobox 1 antisense 1 (ZEB1-AS1) is an oncogene in various cancers, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We investigated the role and mechanism of ZEB1-AS1 as a competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) combined with miR-23c in HCC cell proliferation and invasion. METHODS: QRT-PCR was used to detect ZEB1-AS1 and miR-23c expressions in HCC tissues and cells. The dual luciferase reporter assay detected the targeted regulation of miR-23c and ZEB1-AS1. We also performed the correlation analysis of their expression in HCC tissues by the Spearman's correlation analysis. 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay was used to detect the proliferation of hepatoma cells. Cell invasion was assessed by the Transwell assay. RESULTS: QRT-PCR results indicated ZEB1-AS1 was upregulated and miR-23c was downregulated in HCC tissues and cell lines. ZEB1-AS1 knockdown hampered the proliferation and invasion of HCC cells. Dual luciferase reporter assay showed that miR-23c is a target of ZEB1-AS1, and ZEB1-AS1 was significantly negatively correlated with the miR-23c expression in HCC tissues. The results of MTT and Transwell assay showed that miR-23c inhibition restored the inhibitory effect of ZEB1-AS1 knockdown on HCC cells proliferation and invasion. CONCLUSIONS: As a ceRNA, lncRNA ZEB1-AS1 may play a vital role in inhibiting HCC progression through miR-23c, which will provide new clues and theoretical basis for the HCC diagnosis and treatment.
