LncRNA HOXC ‐ AS1 Promotes Tumor Progression via miR ‐876‐3p/ NR3C1 in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Long non‐coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are crucial regulators of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) development. The objective of the present investigation was to examine the lncRNA HOXC‐AS1 levels in HCC and to explore the function of the HOXC‐AS1/miR‐876‐3p/NR3C1 axis in HCC. Relative HOXC‐AS1, miR‐876‐3p, and NR3C1 levels in tumor and paracancerous specimens were assessed by quantitative RT‐PCR. sh‐HOXC‐AS1 was transfected into HCC cells to analyze its effects on HCC. The detection of cell growth, migration, and invasiveness was conducted by the CCK‐8 assay along with Transwell analysis. Flow cytometry was employed to assess cell apoptosis. To evaluate the prognostic significance of HOXC‐AS1, a Kaplan–Meier survival analysis was carried out. HOXC‐AS1 was increased in HCC specimens in comparison with paracancerous tissues. Patients with high HOXC‐AS1 levels had lower disease‐free survival and overall survival rates than cases with low HOXC‐AS1 levels ( p < 0.001). Silencing HOXC‐AS1 reduced the growth, migration, and invasiveness of HCC cells while promoting their apoptosis. As the direct target gene, miR‐876‐3p is negatively related to HOXC‐AS1 levels. miR‐876‐3p could reverse the functions of HOXC‐AS1 for HCC cells by targeting NR3C1. Upregulation of HOXC‐AS1 promotes HCC progression through the miR‐876‐3p/NR3C1 axis.