LncRNA 00152 promotes the development of hepatocellular carcinoma by activating JAK2/STAT3 pathway

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to explore the regulatory role of lncRNA 00152 and JAK2/STAT3 pathway in the pathogenesis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and to investigate the possible underlying mechanism. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Expression levels of lncRNA 00152 in HCC tissues, matched para-cancerous tissues and normal liver tissues were detected by quantitative Real Time-Polymerase Chain Reaction (qRT-PCR), respectively. The correlation between lncRNA 00152 expression and pathological characteristics of HCC patients was analyzed. Meanwhile, the expression level of lncRNA 00152 in HCC cell lines was detected by qRT-PCR. After knockdown or overexpression of lncRNA 00152 in MHCC97 or HB611 cells, the proliferative ability and cell cycle were detected by EdU assay and flow cytometry. respectively. Also, Western blot was conducted to detect the protein expression levels of JAK2 and STAT3 in MHCC97 and HB611 cells. RESULTS: The expression of lncRNA 00152 in HCC tissues was significantly higher than that of matched para-cancerous tissues and normal liver tissues. LncRNA 00152 expression was positively correlated with tumor stage and tumor size, whereas negatively correlated with the overall survival of HCC patients. High expression of lncRNA 00152 might be a potential hallmark for the diagnosis of HCC, with the AUC of 0.8425. Similarly, lncRNA 00152 was highly expressed in HCC cell lines when compared with that of normal liver cells. Knockdown of lncRNA 00152 in MHCC97 cells remarkably decreased the proliferative ability and arrested cell cycle. Overexpression of lncRNA 00152 in HB611 cells significantly promoted cell proliferation and cell cycle. Furthermore, Western blot results showed that lncRNA 00152 knockdown upregulated the protein expression levels of JAK2 and STAT3 in HCC cells. CONCLUSIONS: High expression of lncRNA 00152 promotes the development of HCC by activating the JAK2/STAT3 pathway.