Long non-coding RNAs affect the metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma cells by regulating the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common type of primary liver cancer, and, in terms of its global incidence and mortality rates across all types of cancer, HCC is ranked sixth and third, respectively. Therefore, HCC is a notable global health burden. Dysregulation of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) has a key role in human tumorigenesis. However, the lncRNAs involved in the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) that affects the migration and recurrence of HCC are yet to be fully elucidated. In the present study, the EMT was induced in Huh7 cells using transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) and it was revealed that this process may promote HCC metastasis. RNA sequencing was then used to screen the lncRNAs and mRNAs that were differentially expressed (DE) during the TGF-β-induced EMT process. Subsequently, Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway enrichment analyses were carried out on the identified DE lncRNAs and mRNAs. By constructing a co-expression network of DE lncRNAs and mRNAs, key lncRNAs possibly involved in the TGF-β-induced EMT that may promote the metastasis of HCC were predicted. Therefore, although preliminary, the present study suggested a list of potential candidates for further investigation of the molecular mechanism of the TGF-β-induced EMT in HCC. Further research may reveal key information on tumorigenesis and potential therapeutic targets in HCC in the future.