Targeting HCG18 counteracts ferroptosis resistance via blocking the miR-30a-5p/RRM2/GSS pathway in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background: Finding effective strategies and novel targets for reversing drug resistance is one of the major frontiers in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) research. Ferroptosis is participate in the malignant progression and drug resistance of HCC. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms remail largely uninvestigated. Methods: HCC cell lines and xenografted nude mice were used as experimental models. Biological functions were investigated by various molecular biology experiments. An HCC population was used to reveal clinical significance. Results: In our study, HCG18 and RRM2 was found to be associated with unfavorable prognosis. HCG18 regulates RRM2 expression through competitively binding to miR-30a-5p, consequently impacting ferroptosis. RRM2 directly regulated GSS to increase GSH synthesis. The colony formation assay demonstrated that overexpression of HCG18 inhibited erastin-induced cell death. In addition, in vivo experiments have also confirmed that HCG18 can inhibit ferroptosis by regulating the expression of RRM2, thereby promoting HCC proliferation. Conclusion: Our study discovered a novel lncRNA HCG18, as a "switch-like" molecule of the axis of miR-30a-5p/RRM2/GSS, confers resistance to ferroptosis and holds promise as a potential target for ferroptosis-dependent therapy.