Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fourth leading cause of cancer-related death. However, the molecular mechanism of its pathogenesis is still unclear. This study analyzed the pathophysiology of HCC based on the perspective of lncRNAs and mRNAs expression to find effective diagnostic strategies and prognostic markers.
Methods: Data for HCC patients and normal controls were downloaded from the GEO and TCGA databases. LncRNAs and mRNAs differentially expressed in HCC patients were screened by R language (3.6.0). The ROC curves of the ten lncRNAs with the most significant expression differences were drawn, and survival analysis was conducted. Then, the differentially expressed mRNAs were annotated by using GO and KEGG databases. The protein-protein interactions in the lncRNA-mRNA coexpression network were analyzed with the STRING database. Tissue and cell experiments were performed to verify the results of bioinformatics analysis.
Results: A large number of differentially expressed lncRNAs and mRNAs in HCC were correlated. Four lncRNAs were significantly associated with the prognosis of HCC patients. These differentially expressed lncRNAs mainly regulated the proliferation and lipid metabolism of HCC. Cell experiments confirmed that lnc-MMADHC-5 could inhibit the development of HCC.
Conclusion: lncRNAs regulated the proliferation and lipid metabolism of HCC. Lnc-APBB1-1, lnc-FBXO42-1, lnc-JAKMIP2-1, and lnc-MMADHC-5 might be prognostic markers for HCC. Lnc-MMADHC-5 could inhibit the development of HCC.