Knockdown of Long Non-Coding RNA (LncRNA) MAFG Divergent Transcript Inhibits the Tumorigenesis of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Through miR-339-5p/CDC25A Axis

Abstract

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is frequently diagnosed at late stages when curative treatments are no more applicable. Hence, it is essential to explore new strategie sagainst HCC. Long non-coding RNA (LncRNA) MAFG divergent transcript (MAFG-DT) was known to act as a modulator in various cancers. Nevertheless, the role of MAFG-DT in HCC remains unexplored. The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and bioinformatics analyzes were used to explore MAFG-DT level in HCC. In addition, LncBase was used to explore the downstream miRNA of MAFG-DT, and target scan was applied to analyze the targets of miR-339-5p. Meanwhile, bioinformatics tool was applied to assess the role of CDC25A and miR-339-5p in HCC. Furthermore, CCK8 and transwell assays were applied to assess the cell viability and migration. MAFG-DT level was elevated in HCC tissues. MAFG-DT level was positively correlated with the advanced TNM stage, vascular invasion, histologic grade recurrence and mortality. Kaplan–Meier analysis suggested that MAFG-DT was negatively associated with recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival in HCC. Meanwhile, MAFG-DT was verified to sponge miR-339-5p, and CDC25A was the target mRNA of miR-339-5p. MAFG-DT silencing could significantly inhibit the viability of migration of HCC cells through binding to miR-339-5p. MAFG-DT silencing inhibited the development of HCC through miR-339-5p/CDC25A axis. Thus, our study might supply a new target against HCC.