Knockdown of lncRNA HNF1A-AS1 inhibits oncogenic phenotypes in colorectal carcinoma

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been demonstrated to serve important roles in the development and progression of cancer. Recently HNF1A antisense RNA 1 (HNF1A-AS1), a lncRNA, has been reported as exhibiting a potential oncogenic role in the development of many types of cancer. However, the expression and the role of HNF1A-AS1 in colorectal carcinoma (CRC) remains unclear. In the present study, the role of HNF1A-AS1 in CRC was examined for the first time and its correlation with CRC cell biological behaviors was analyzed. The results demonstrated that HNF1A-AS1 was distinctly upregulated in CRC tissues and associated with CRC metastasis to the lymph nodes. Reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction revealed that HNF1A-AS1 was also upregulated in CRC cell lines and localized in the nucleus. In addition, knockdown of HNF1A-AS1 expression notably inhibited CRC cell proliferation, migration, invasion and colony formation, and suppressed S-phase entry in vitro. Taken together, these results suggested that HNF1A-AS1 might serve as a promising prognostic marker for CRC tumorigenesis and progression.