Long noncoding RNA HOXC-AS3 indicates a poor prognosis and regulates tumorigenesis by binding to YBX1 in breast cancer.

Multiple studies have highlighted the importance of long noncoding RNAs in tumorigenesis. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the role of lncRNAs in breast cancer are not well understood. Recently, the lncRNA HOXC-AS3 has drawn significant attention due to its regulatory effects on the tumorigenesis of human cancers. However, the potential molecular mechanisms whereby it mediates breast cancer progression remain unknown. Based on public breast cancer expression data and using bioinformatics methods, we discovered significantly upregulated expression levels of HOXC-AS3 in diseased tissues. We verified this result in breast cancer samples and found that the expression of HOXC-AS3 was well correlated with the prognosis of breast cancer. In vitro and in vivo experimental evidence suggests that HOXC-AS3 has the potential to regulate tumorigenesis. Further, mechanistic studies demonstrated the potential of HOXC-AS3 in the transcriptional activation of TK1 via its binding to YBX1. Furthermore, the silencing of TK1 reversed HOXC-AS3-mediated increase in breast cancer cell growth and migration. In conclusion, these results indicated the potential value of HOXC-AS as a prognostic biological marker for breast cancer, and possibly, as a therapeutic target. AJTR