Long non-coding RNA HNF1A-AS1 promotes cell proliferation and invasion via regulating miR-17-5p in non-small cell lung cancer

Long non-coding RNA HNF1A-antisense 1 (lncRNA HNF1A-AS1) plays important roles in the progression of human tumors. The aim of this study is to unravel the underlying mechanism of HNF1A-AS1 in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). In the present study, we found that HNF1A-AS1 was upregulation in NSCLC tissues and cell lines. High HNF1A-AS1 expression was associated with patients' advanced TNM stage and lymph node metastasis. Reduced HNF1A-AS1 expression inhibited lung cancer cells proliferation, invasion and increased cells apoptosis rate. Bioinformatics analysis and luciferase reporter assay revealed that HNF1A-AS1 interacted with miR-17-5p by directly targeting it. Rescue experiments showed that miR-17-5p suppression reversed the tumor-suppressing role of HNF1A-AS1 knockdown on NSCLC progression. Conclusion, our data indicated that lncRNA HNF1A-AS1 promoted lung cancer cells proliferation and invasion via regulating miR-17-5p, suggesting that HNF1A-AS1 could act as a potent therapeutic strategy for the treatment of NSCLC patients.