Abstract
The aim of the present study was to investigate the roles and potential mechanisms of long non-coding RNA HLA complex group 11 (HCG11) in colorectal carcinoma. Reverse transcription-quantitative PCR was used to detect HCG11 expression in clinical tissues and survival analysis was performed to identify its prognostic value. In order to investigate its specific biological functions in colorectal carcinoma, the transfection technique was used for the knockdown and overexpression of HCG11. Dual-luciferase reporter gene and RNA pull-down assays were used to identify the binding association between HCG11 and microRNA (miR)-214-5p. Western blot analysis was used to detect the mechanism of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) regulation in tumor cells in the pathway downstream of HCG11. HCG11 level was high in colorectal carcinoma tissues, which was associated with poor patient prognosis; however, chemotherapy may prevent the upregulation of HCG11 in colorectal carcinoma. HCG11-knockdown suppressed the proliferation, migration and chemotherapeutic sensitivity of colorectal carcinoma cells, whereas HCG11-overexpression enhanced chemotherapeutic sensitivity. miR-214-5p was revealed to be a target gene, and upon direct interaction, a negative regulator of HCG11 in colorectal carcinoma cells. Inhibition of miR-214-5p reversed the restriction of HCG11 on the malignant activity of colorectal carcinoma cells, while miR-214-5p mediated the chemotherapy-related intracellular EMT pathway. In conclusion, HCG11 is a vital oncogene of colorectal carcinoma involved in mediating the chemotherapeutic resistance of tumors.