Long noncoding RNA FOXD2‐AS1 aggravates hepatocellular carcinoma tumorigenesis by regulating the miR‐206/MAP3K1 axis

Abstract

LncRNAs play crucial roles in the development of various cancers including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Nevertheless, the function of the long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) FOXD2-AS1 in HCC is still poorly understood. In this study, we focused on the role of FOXD2-AS1 in HCC. We found that FOXD2-AS1 was significantly upregulated in HCC cells in comparison to normal human liver cells, LO2. In this study, we also demonstrated that miR-206 expression was greatly reduced in HCC cells. Furthermore, the inhibition of FOXD2-AS1 repressed HCC cell proliferation, enhanced cell apoptosis, and restrained cell invasion and migration. The knockdown of FOXD2-AS1 elevated miR-206 expression, and we validated an interaction between these RNAs. Additionally, miR-206 mimics inhibited HCC development while miR-206 mimics had the opposite effect. MAP kinase 1 (MAP3K1) was predicted to be a target of miR-206. We discovered that FOXD2-AS1 modulated MAP3K1 expression by sponging miR-206 in MHCC-97L and HepG2 cells. Finally, our in vivo experiments validated that the knockdown of FOXD2-AS1 inhibited HCC progression by modulating the miR-206/MAP3K1 axis. In conclusion, this work implies FOXD2-AS1 accelerates HCC progression through sponging miR-206 and regulating MAP3K1 expression.