Abstract
Accumulating reports suggest that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play critical roles in the progression of many tumors. In this study, we explored the expression level of lncRNA FOXD2-AS1 in the tumorigenesis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The data indicated that FOXD2-AS1 expression was increased in HCC specimens and cell lines. Furthermore, aberrant expression was correlated with tumor number and tumor size in HCC patients. Silencing FOXD2-AS1 arrest cell cycle in the G0/G1 phase, inhibited colony formation, cell proliferation and suppressed the in vivo growth of subcutaneous tumors. Our results revealed that FOXD2-AS1 could epigenetically silence CDKN1B by recruiting EZH2 to CDKN1B promoter region. Knocking down CDKN1B could restore the carcinogenic effect of FOXD2-AS1 on HCC. Collectively, our data suggested that FOXD2-AS1 could be new target for therapies or prognostic biomarker in hepatocellular carcinoma.