Discussion
Our results provided evidence that PART1 serves as oncogenic lncRNA through sponging miR-590-3p to upregulate HMGB2 expression in HCC.
Methods
Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) method was used to detect the PART1 expression level in HCC cells. Cell proliferation, colony formation, and transwell invasion assays were performed to investigate the biological roles of PART1 on HCC cell behaviors. Bioinformatic analysis methods were performed to analyze connections of microRNA-590-3p (miR-590-3p) with PART1 or high mobility group box 2 (HMGB2) in HCC. Moreover, expression levels of PART1, miR-590-3p, and HMGB2 in HCC tissues and normal tissues were analyzed at ENCORI.
Results
PART1 expression was found to be significantly upregulated in HCC tissues and cells. Functionally, silencing of PART1 significantly suppressed HCC cell proliferation, colony formation and invasion in vitro, while forcing PART1 exerts opposite biological effects. Mechanically, miR-590-3p/HMGB2 axis was downstream target of PART1, and silencing of miR-590-3p or forcing of HMGB2 could rescue the stimulation effects of PART1 overexpression on HCC cell behaviors.