The high expression of Long noncoding RNA TEX41 promotes the proliferation, migration, and invasion of hepatocellular carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) TEX41 has been linked to the progression of various kinds of cancers. In this study, the expression of lncRNA TEX41 and cell biological function of lncRNA TEX41 were examined in the context of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) to measure their ability to predict HCC progression. The relationship between lncRNA TEX41, miR-200a-3p, and potential downstream target gene BIRC5 was further explored. The purpose of the present study was to provide a new theoretical basis for the diagnosis and treatment of HCC. METHODS: The GEPIA2, starBase and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) databases were used to analyze the biological functions and molecular mechanisms of lncRNA TEX41. The expression of lncRNA TEX41 in clinical tissue samples and cell lines was detected via quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). We investigated the impact of TEX41 on the proliferation, migration, and invasion of HCC cells, as well as its underlying mechanism. RESULTS: The expression levels of lncRNA TEX41 in HCC tissues are higher than those in adjacent tissues. The expression of lncRNA TEX41 was associated with lymph node metastasis and tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) staging in HCC patients. Silencing lncRNA TEX41 inhibited the proliferation, migration, and invasion of HCC cell lines. Low expression of lncRNA TEX41 may have affected epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in HCC cell lines. There may be a functional relationship between lncRNA TEX41 and miR-200a-3p-BIRC5. CONCLUSIONS: LncRNA TEX41 may promote the progression of HCC through the miR-200a-3p-BIRC5 axis.