Infantile hemangiomas (IH) are a type of benign vascular neoplasm that may cause permanent scarring. Hemangioma-derived endothelial cells (HemECs) are commonly used as an in vitro model to study IH. Long noncoding RNA is a type of RNA transcript longer than 200 nucleotides that does not encode any protein. LINC00342 was discovered to regulate proliferation and apoptosis in nonsmall cell lung cancer. However, the role of LINC00342 in IH has never been reported before. Expressions of LINC00342 and miR-3619-5p were detected in proliferating versus normal skin tissues. Colony formation and Cell-Couting Kit 8 assays were carried out to study the effects on cell proliferation after knockdown and overexpression of LINC00342, respectively. Meanwhile caspase-3 activity and nucleosomal fragmentation assay were applied to detect cell apoptosis. Micro-RNA binding sites on LINC00342 and hepatoma-derived growth factor (HDGF) were predicted and confirmed via dual-luciferase reporter assay. Biotin RNA pulldown assay was used to verify the direct binding between RNA molecules. LINC00342 enhanced proliferation and inhibited apoptosis in HemECs. MiR-3619-5p targeted both LINC00342 and HDGF, where LINC00342 sponged miR-3619-5p and positively regulated HDGF. HDGF knockdown rescued the effects of LINC00342 on HemECs. The LINC00342-miR-3619-5p-HDGF signaling pathway could regulate cell proliferation and apoptosis in HemECs. NEW & NOTEWORTHY The role of LINC00342 in infantile hemangiomas has not yet been elucidated. This paper highlights the regulatory role of LINC00342 in cell proliferation and apoptosis in hemangioma-derived endothelial cells and the underlying molecular mechanisms. The findings would provide potential target for treatment of infantile hemangiomas.

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