Upregulation of lncRNA DQ679794 contributes to preventing the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma both in vitro and in vivo

Abstract

Background Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is an aggressive tumor with a poor prognosis. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are key regulators of tumor development. However, lncRNA profiles in HCC remain largely unknown. In previous studies, we found that lncRNA DQ786243 plays an important role in the pathogenesis of HCC and promotes the development of HCC. In this study, we investigated the role of lncRNA DQ679794 in the pathogenesis of HCC. Methods and Results We first used quantitative real-time PCR among 64 paired HCC tissues, and the level of lncRNA DQ679794 was found to be significantly lower in tumors than in normal tissues. In addition, the effects of lncRNA DQ679794 were assessed by overexpression in vitro and in vivo . We found that the level of apoptosis was increased and that cell proliferation was weakened in HepG2 cells overexpressing DQ679794. Finally, the transplanted tumor experiment confirmed that after the overexpression of lncRNA DQ679794, the growth of transplanted tumors formed by liver cancer cells was inhibited. Conclusion This study suggests that lncRNA DQ679794 is an oncogene that inhibits tumor progression, and we believe that lncRNAs may be a key regulatory center in HCC progression.