Abstract: Growing evidence demonstrates that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are involved in the progression of various cancers, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The role of nuclear-enriched abundant transcript 1 (NEAT1 ), an essential lncRNA for the formation of nuclear body paraspeckles, has not been fully explored in HCC. We aimed to determine the expression, roles and functional mechanisms of NEAT1  in the proliferation and invasion of HCC. Based on real-time polymerase chain reaction data, we suggest that NEAT1  is upregulated in HCC tissues compared with noncancerous liver tissues. The knockdown of NEAT1  altered global gene expression patterns and reduced HCC cell proliferation, invasion and migration. RNA immunoprecipitation and RNA pull-down assays confirmed that U2AF65 binds to NEAT1 . Furthermore, the study indicated that NEAT1  regulated hnRNP A2  expression and that this regulation may be associated with the NEAT1 –U2AF65 protein complex. Thus, the NEAT1 -hnRNP A2  regulation mechanism promotes HCC pathogenesis and may provide a potential target for the prognosis and treatment of HCC.
Keywords: long noncoding RNA, NEAT1 , RNA-binding protein, HCC