Upregulation of LncRNA-LHX2 Promotes Hepatocellular Carcinoma Proliferation, Migration, Invasion and Metastasis via Targeting VEGFA by Sequestering of MiR-939-5p

Abstract

Due to the challenges in early diagnosis and lack of specific biomarkers, liver cancer remains one of the most prevalent and lethal tumor types. Numerous studies have shown that long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) plays a crucial role in the regulation of various malignant tumors, including liver cancer. Here, we discussed the function and effect of LncRNA-LHX2 in the tumorigenesis and progression of liver cancer, which was significantly upregulated in liver cancer tissues, compared to the benign liver tissues. To improve the accuracy and efficiency of tests like qRT-PCR, we employed nano-magnetic beads for nucleic acid extraction from tissues and cells. In our experiments using HepG2 cells, silencing of LncRNA-LHX2 effectively suppressed cell proliferation, migration, and invasion by interacting with miR-939-5p, which targets VEGFA. Interestingly, overexpression of miR-939-5p also impaired malignant functions of HepG2 cells. However, simultaneously inhibition of miR-939-5p expression can partially restored the inhibitory effect on HepG2 cells resulting from LncRNA-LHX2 knockdown. Consistently, our in vivo results from tumor mice model also suggested that knockout of LncRNA-LHX2 inhibited the tumor growth and suppressed epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) process, while silencing of miR-939-5p exhibited the opposite effect. However, when both LncRNA-LHX2 and miR-939-5p were simultaneously interfered with, the tumor growth was partially alleviated. Based on these results, our study highlights the malignant impact of LncRNA-LHX2 in the progression of liver cancer, indicating its potential as a candidate biomarker for liver cancer diagnosis.