ncRNA | Dysregulation in HCC | Role(s) in HCC | References |
---|---|---|---|
miRNAs | |||
 miR-21 | Upregulated expression | Directly targets and represses MAP2K3 expression Inhibition of miR-21 increased PTEN levels, affecting tumor cell proliferation and migration | |
 miR-221/222 | Upregulated expression | Increased levels are associated with PTEN and TIMP3 downregulation Targets p27 and induces tumor proliferation | |
 miR-224 | Upregulated expression | Promotes tumor cell proliferation, migration, invasion; inhibits apoptosis Early HCC patients showed increased levels of serum miR-224; potential serum biomarker for early HCC detection | |
 miR-26 | Downregulated expression | Represses CDK6 and cyclin E1 expression, inhibiting G1/S transition Inhibits expression of VEGFA, suppressing angiogenic and proliferative ability of the tumor | |
 miR-122 | Downregulated expression | Marker for hepatocyte-specific differentiation Inhibits tumorigenic abilities of HCC cells Loss of miR-122 enhances tumor cell migration and invasion | |
 miR-199 | Downregulated expression | Low levels correlate with poorer survival Targets tumor-promoting PAK4, repressing the PAK4/Raf/MEK/ERK pathway | |
 miR-200a | Downregulated expression | Inhibits cell growth, migration, invasion and EMT by targeting Foxa2 and ZEB2 | |
lncRNAs | |||
 HULC | Upregulated expression | Associated with tumor proliferation, angiogenesis and metastasis Downregulates p18 tumor suppressor Acts as miRNA sponge to sequester tumor-suppressive miRNAs, which could lead to activation of EMT and tumor angiogenesis | |
 HOTAIR | Upregulated expression | Recruits PRC2 and LSD1 complexes to mediate specific gene silencing Involved in maintaining HCC tumor microenvironment via CCL2 expression Inhibiting HOTAIR can suppress HCC proliferation and sensitise tumor cells to chemotherapy |