LINC00844 promotes proliferation and migration of hepatocellular carcinoma by regulating NDRG1 expression.

Wei Zhou,Kang Huang,Cheng Zeng,Qiuyan Zhang,Zibiao Zhong,Shaojun Ye,Qifa Ye,Guizhu Peng,Ling Li

doi:10.7717/peerj.8394

Abstract

BackgroundAberrant expression of long noncoding RNAs are implicated in the pathogenesis of human malignancies. LINC00844 expression is dramatically downregulated in prostate cancer, and functional studies have revealed the association between the aberrant expression of LINC00844 and prostate cancer cell invasion and metastasis. However, the function and mechanism of action of LINC00844 in the pathogenesis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are poorly understood.MethodsLINC00844 and N-Myc downstream-regulated 1 (NDRG1) expression in HCC tissues and cell lines was detected with real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and western blot analysis. Correlations between LINC00844 expression level and clinicopathological features were investigated using the original data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. HepG2 and HCCLM9 cell lines were transfected with Lv-LIN00844 virus to obtain LINC00844-overexpressing cell lines. Cell proliferation and cell invasion and migration were examined with the cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) and transwell assay, respectively. Furthermore, the correlation between LINC00844 and NDRG1 expression was analysed using Pearson’s correlation analysis.ResultsLINC00844 expression was significantly downregulatedin HCC tissues and cell lines, and a statistical correlation was detected between low LINC00844 expression and sex (Female), advanced American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) stage (III + IV), histological grade (G3 + G4), and vascular invasion (Micro and Macro). In vitro experiments showed that LINC00844 overexpression significantly repressed the proliferation, migration, and invasion of HCC cells. NDRG1 expression was higher in HCC tissues and LINC00844 could partly inhibit the expression of NDRG1.

Highlights

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a common primary liver tumour and one of the most common causes of cancer-related deaths worldwide (Bray et al, 2018)
To understand the expression pattern of LINC00844 in different tumours, we extracted LINC00844 from 31 kinds of tumours from Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis (GEPIA) and found that LINC00844 expression was low in most tumours, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) (Fig. 1B)
LINC00844 was downregulated in liver HCC (LIHC) from GEPIA (Fig. 2A)

Summary

Introduction

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a common primary liver tumour and one of the most common causes of cancer-related deaths worldwide (Bray et al, 2018). LINC00844 promotes proliferation and migration of hepatocellular carcinoma by regulating NDRG1 expression. Despite tremendous progress in HCC therapy, an effective strategy to cure HCC is still missing (Forner, Reig & Bruix, 2018). LINC00844 and N-Myc downstream-regulated 1 (NDRG1) expression in HCC tissues and cell lines was detected with real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and western blot analysis. LINC00844 expression was significantly downregulatedin HCC tissues and cell lines, and a statistical correlation was detected between low LINC00844 expression and sex (Female), advanced American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) stage (III + IV), histological grade (G3 + G4), and vascular invasion (Micro and Macro). In vitro experiments showed that LINC00844 overexpression significantly repressed the proliferation, migration, and invasion of HCC cells. NDRG1 expression was higher in HCC tissues and LINC00844 could partly inhibit the expression of NDRG1

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Discussion

Conclusion