MicroRNA 144 (miR-144), a small non-coding RNA, is frequently dysregulated in human several tumour progression, but its role and the underlying mechanisms in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is poorly investigated. In the present study, the expression of miR-144 was firstly analysed in datasets derived from GSE21362 and TCGA, and then detected in HCC tissues and cell lines by quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis. MiR-144 was shown to be significantly down-regulated in HCC tissues and cell lines. Subsequently, overexpression of miR-144 was transfected into HCC cell lines so as to investigate its biological function, including MTT, colony formation, and transwell assays. Gain of function assay revealed miR-144 remarkably inhibited cell proliferation, migration and invasion. In addition, bioinformatical analysis and luciferase reporter assay identified ZFX as a novel target of miR-144 in HCC cells, as confirmed by qRT-PCR and Western blot. Furthermore, ZFX was found to be significantly up-regulated using Oncomine database analysis. Loss of function assay further indicated knockdown of ZFX had similar effects of miR-144-mediated HCC cell proliferation and invasion. Therefore, miR-144 has been demonstrated to act as a tumour suppressor in HCC cell growth and motility by directly targeting ZFX, which implicates its potential applications in the development of HCC treatment.

Background Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) occurs frequently in China, with high morbidity and mortality. Cell division cycle 20 homolog ( CDC20 ) is reportedly related to many cancers. In this study, we discuss a potential link of CDC20 expression to HCC patients’ prognoses. Material/Methods Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was performed to assess CDC20 expression in HCC and the paired noncancerous tissues. Chi-square analysis was used to assess potential association of CDC20 expression with clinicopathologic profiles among HCC patients. The overall survival for HCC patients with different CDC20 expressions was assessed using the Kaplan-Meier method. To evaluate the prognostic value for HCC patients, Cox regression analyses were performed. Results The expression of CDC20 was elevated among HCC specimens compared with adjacent noncancerous ones ( P <0.05). The expression of CDC20 was significantly related to differentiation ( P <0.001), tumor node metastasis stage ( P <0.001), and lymphatic metastasis ( P <0.001). Moreover, HCC patients with high CDC20 expression had dismal overall survival rates compared with low CDC20 expression ( P <0.05). CDC20 alone could forecast HCC prognoses according to multivariable Cox regression analysis (hazard ratio=2.354, 95% confidence interval=1.177–4.709, P =0.016). Conclusions Overexpressed CDC20 may act as a reliable biomarker for dismal prognoses among HCC patients.

Background: Nuclear casein kinase and cyclin-dependent kinase substrate (NUCKS1) was overexpressed in some tumors, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the clinical signi cance of NUCKS1 in HCC was still unclear. The aim of this study was to explore the expression and prognostic value of NUCKS1 in HCC. Methods: Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was used to detect the relative mRNA expression of NUCKS1 in HCC tissues and corresponding adjacent normal tissues. The relationship between NUCKS1 expression and clinical characteristics of patients was analyzed by c 2 test. Kaplan-Meier method and cox regression analysis were applied to estimate the prognostic value of NUCKS1 in HCC.Results: Compared with normal tissues, the relative mRNA expression level of NUCKS1 was signi cantly up-regulated in HCC tissues (P < 0.001). And high NUCKS1 expression was closely associated with tumor differentiation, TNM stage, vascular invasion and metastasis (P < 0.05). Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed that the overall survival of HCC patients with low expression of NUCKS1 was obviously longer than those with high NUCKS1 expression (log rank test, P = 0.001). NUCKS1 was an independent prognostic factor of HCC patients via univariate and multivariate cox regression analyses.Conclusions: NUCKS1 may be correlated with the progression of HCC and may serve as a potential factor for the prognosis of this disease.

Background: Nuclear casein kinase and cyclin-dependent kinase substrate 1 (NUCKS1) was over-expressed in some tumors, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the clinical significance of NUCKS1 in HCC was still unclear. The aim of this study was to explore the expression and prognostic value of NUCKS1 in HCC. Methods: Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was used to detect the relative mRNA expression of NUCKS1 in HCC tissues and corresponding adjacent normal tissues. The relationship between NUCKS1 expression and clinical characteristics of patients was analyzed by c2 test. Kaplan-Meier method and cox regression analysis were applied to estimate the prognostic value of NUCKS1 in HCC. Results: Compared with normal tissues, the relative mRNA expression level of NUCKS1 was significantly up-regulated in HCC tissues (P < 0.001). And high NUCKS1 expression was closely associated with tumor differentiation, TNM stage, vascular invasion and metastasis (P < 0.05). Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed that the overall survival of HCC patients with low expression of NUCKS1 was obviously longer than those with high NUCKS1 expression (log rank test, P = 0.001). NUCKS1 was an independent prognostic factor of HCC patients via univariate and multivariate cox regression analyses.Conclusions: NUCKS1 may be correlated with the progression of HCC and may serve as a potential factor for the prognosis of this disease.