Abstract
Recent studies have illustrated the role of aberrant regulatory interactions in the mediation of malignant phenotypes of cancer cells, which could potentially provide novel therapeutic targets to limit the destructive recurrence and metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Herein, we clarify the oncogenic role of the long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) distal-less homeobox 6 antisense 1 (DLX6-AS1) in HCC in vivo and in vitro. To this end, we knocked down lncRNA DLX6-AS1 and manipulated the expression of miR-513c to characterize their effects in HCC cell viability, migration, invasion, and apoptosis. Furthermore, we probed the interactions with miR-513c's target gene Cullin4A (Cul4A) and the degradation of Annexin A10 (ANXA10) protein. Our data show that lncRNA DLX6-AS1 and Cul4A were highly expressed, while miR-513c and ANXA10 were poorly expressed in HCC tissues and cells. Moreover, the silencing of lncRNA DLX6-AS1 impeded the viability, invasion, and migration of HCC cells, while stimulating cell apoptosis. Further data indicated that lncRNA DLX6-AS1 targeted and repressed miR-513c expression, where the tumor-inhibiting effects of lncRNA DLX6-AS1 silencing was achieved by elevating miR-513c expression. Importantly, the lncRNA DLX6-AS1 upregulated the expression of Cul4A through sponging of miR-513c. The silencing of Cul4A restricted the malignant phenotypes of HCC cells by repressing the ubiquitination-mediated degradation of ANXA10. In vivo experiments verified that lncRNA DLX6-AS1 promoted the progression of HCC through the miR-513c/Cul4A/ANXA10 axis. Thus, the silencing of lncRNA DLX6-AS1 impaired miR-513c-dependent Cul4A inhibition and subsequently elevated ubiquitination-mediated degradation of ANXA10, thereby preventing the occurrence and development of HCC.