<scp>LncRNA HOXC</scp> ‐ <scp>AS1</scp> Promotes Tumor Progression via <scp>miR</scp> ‐876‐3p/ <scp>NR3C1</scp> 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.