Objective: This study mainly explores how UCK2 impacts the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods: Mature miRNA and mRNA expression data along with the clinical data of HCC were provided by The Cancer Genome Atlas to mine differentially expressed miRNAs and mRNAs. Expression levels of UCK2 and miR-139-3p in HCC were tested through quantitative real-time PCR. How UCK2 and miR-139-3p impacted HCC cell activities were detected by Transwell, wound healing and cell proliferation approaches. Whether miR-139-3p could bind to UCK2 was detected by dual-luciferase assay. Results: This investigation found evidently high levels of UCK2 in both HCC tissue and cells and its marked association with poor prognosis. Overexpression of UCK2 could significantly promote the behaviors of HCC cells. In addition, poorly expressed miR-139-3p was inversely associated with UCK2. Dual-luciferase method also proved the association. The rescue experiment showed that miR-139-3p regulated cell behaviors in HCC through targeting UCK2. Conclusion: Highly expressed UCK2 was mediated by miR-139-3p to modulate cell behaviors in HCC. It is assumed that UCK2 is a possible target of HCC for cancer therapy purposes.
Keywords: HCC; UCK2; hepatocellular carcinoma; invasion; miR-139-3p; migration; proliferation.
Globally, a large number of patients succumb to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) each year. Only 10–37% patients can undergo surgery because of hepatic failure and advanced tumors. Though the recovery rate after excision is 20–30%, the 5-year survival rate is low, and postoperative recurrence rate is high. Despite the widespread application of HCC screening, only few patients in the early stage have been diagnosed. Hence, it is urgent to explore its potential mechanism. This study investigates the relationship between aberrant expression of mRNA and malignancy of HCC cells. Finally, the abnormally high expression of UCK2 is correlated with patients' low survival rate and poor prognosis.