Original ArticlesLong non-coding RNA Unigene56159 promotes epithelial-mesenchymal transition by acting as a ceRNA of miR-140-5p in hepatocellular carcinoma cells

•Long non-coding RNA Unigene56159 expression is induced by HBV.•Unigene56159 promotes cell migration/invasion and EMT in HCC.•Unigene56159 functions as a ceRNA for miR-140-5p to de-repress the Slug expression.•The Unigene56159/miR-140-5p/Slug axis contributes to HCC cell migration and invasion.

HBV infection has been reported to be closely associated with HCC development; however, the underlying mechanisms are unclear. Emerging evidence has indicated that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play important regulatory roles in the pathogenesis and progression of cancers. To investigate the important role and mechanism of lncRNAs in the progression of HBV-related HCC, we screened lncRNAs in HBV-positive and HBV-negative HCC tissues. We identified a novel lncRNA, lncRNA-Unigene56159, which is highly expressed in HBV-related HCC tissues, and further analysis showed that this lncRNA was induced by HBV in vitro. Functionally, Unigene56159 significantly promoted cell migration/invasion and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in HCC. Mechanistically, Unigene56159 could directly bind to miR-140-5p and effectively act as a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) for miR-140-5p to de-repress the expression of the target gene Slug. Collectively, our findings indicate that the Unigene56159/miR-140-5p/Slug axis contributes to HCC cell migration and invasion, which may provide novel insights into the function of lncRNA-driven hepatocarcinogenesis.