LONG NONCODING RNA KCNQ1OT1 PROMOTES CELL MOTILITY IN HEPATOCEL-LULAR CARCINOMA BY REGULATING miR-506-3p/FOXQ1

The role of long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) KCNQ1OT1 has been discovered in some human cancers. In this study, the function of lncRNA KCNQ1OT1 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) was investigated. Here, RT-qPCR was used to measure the expression levels of KCNQ1OT1, miR-506-3p and FOXQ1. The function of KCNQ1OT1 was explored using Transwell assay, Western blot analysis and luciferase reporter assay. Increased expression of KCNQ1OT1 was detected in HCC, which was related to lymph node metastasis and TNM stage in HCC patients. Functionally, overexpression of KCNQ1OT1 promoted cell migration, invasion and EMT in HCC. In addition, lncRNA KCNQ1OT1 acts as a molecular sponge for miR-506-3p in HCC. Moreover, FOXQ1 is a direct target of miR-506-3p, and KCNQ1OT1 can positively regulate the expression of FOXQ1 in HCC. FOXQ1 was found to promote cell metastasis in HCC by interacting with the lncRNA KCNQ1OT1/miR-506-3p axis. In summary, lncRNA KCNQ1OT1 promotes cell migration, invasion and EMT in HCC by interacting with the miR-506-3p/FOXQ1 axis.