Knockdown of Long Non-Coding RNA (LncRNA) MAFG Divergent Transcript Inhibits the Tumorigenesis of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Through miR-339-5p/CDC25A Axis

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is frequently diagnosed at late stages when curative treatments are no more applicable. Hence, it is essential to explore new strategie sagainst HCC. Long non-coding RNA (LncRNA) MAFG divergent transcript (MAFG-DT) was known to act as a modulator in various cancers. Nevertheless, the role of MAFG-DT in HCC remains unexplored. The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and bioinformatics analyzes were used to explore MAFG-DT level in HCC. In addition, LncBase was used to explore the downstream miRNA of MAFG-DT, and target scan was applied to analyze the targets of miR-339-5p. Meanwhile, bioinformatics tool was applied to assess the role of CDC25A and miR-339-5p in HCC. Furthermore, CCK8 and transwell assays were applied to assess the cell viability and migration. MAFG-DT level was elevated in HCC tissues. MAFG-DT level was positively correlated with the advanced TNM stage, vascular invasion, histologic grade recurrence and mortality. Kaplan–Meier analysis suggested that MAFG-DT was negatively associated with recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival in HCC. Meanwhile, MAFG-DT was verified to sponge miR-339-5p, and CDC25A was the target mRNA of miR-339-5p. MAFG-DT silencing could significantly inhibit the viability of migration of HCC cells through binding to miR-339-5p. MAFG-DT silencing inhibited the development of HCC through miR-339-5p/CDC25A axis. Thus, our study might supply a new target against HCC.