Background
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), a malignant tumor with a high mortality rate, is a serious problem worldwide. This research sought to examine how long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) high expression in hepatocellular carcinoma (
HEIH
) affects the development and progression of HCC.
Methods
The expression of
HEIH
in HCC patients and HCC cell lines was measured by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Additionally, HEIH was knocked down, and 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazolium bromide, wound-healing and transwell assays were conducted to evaluate the effects of
HEIH
on the proliferation, migration, and invasion of the HCC cells, respectively. A xenografted mice model was constructed to investigate the function of
HEIH
on HCC tumorigenesis
in vivo
. The interactions among
HEIH
, microRNA (miR)-193a-5p and cyclin-dependent kinase 8 (
CDK8
) were also investigated by dual luciferase reporter (DLR) gene and RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) assays.
Results
HEIH
was highly expressed in HCC tissues, and was correlated with advanced TNM stage and the absence of vascular invasion. The
in vitro
experiments showed that silencing
HEIH
restrained the viability, migration, and invasion of HCC cells, and hampered xenograft tumor growth
in vivo
. Additionally,
HEIH
was shown to bind directly to microRNA 193a-5p (
miR-193a-5p
) and facilitate the expression of the target gene
CDK8
in the HCC cells.
CDK8
overexpression and
miR-193a-5p
silencing attenuated the effects of si-
HEIH
-induced inhibition on the proliferation, migration, and invasion of HCC cells.
Conclusions
Silencing
HEIH
restrained the proliferation, migration, and invasion of HCC cells via the
miR-193a-5p
/
CDK8
axis.