Construction of a hepatocellular carcinoma prognostic model based on the long non-coding RNA RHPN1-AS1.

BACKGROUND: Several long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been identified as oncogenic factors in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This study aims to investigate the biological function and prognostic value of lncRNA RHPN1-AS1 in HCC. METHODS: HCC data were drawn from TCGA database. Coexpression, enrichment, and immune infiltration analyses were performed to identify the roles and mechanisms of RHPN1-AS1 in HCC. Kaplan‒Meier analysis was used to determine overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS). Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were employed to discover independent prognostic indicators. A prognostic nomogram was established and validated. RESULTS: The expression of RHPN1-AS1 was significantly upregulated in HCC samples, and was associated with poor OS and PFS. Univariate Cox regression analysis demonstrated that RHPN1-AS1, AJCC stage, T stage, and M stage were correlated with OS. In multivariate Cox regression analysis, RHPN1-AS was significantly linked to HCC prognosis. The predictive model based on RHPN1-AS1 and clinical factors reached good accuracy. In addition, RHPN1-AS1 was positively co-expressed with TONSL, CHRAC1, JRK, RECQL4, STK3, and CYHR1. Functional enrichment analysis of RHPN1-AS1 co-expressed genes were indicated significant involvement in the cell cycle, DNA replication, and double-strand break repair. CONCLUSIONS: LncRNA RHPN1-AS1 was identified as a potential independent prognostic indicator for HCC patients. A prognostic nomogram integrating RHPN1-AS1 expression and T and M stage was constructed to predict the survival of HCC patients. Furthermore, our findings suggested the involvement of the cell cycle in the action of RHPN1-AS1, providing new insights into the molecular mechanism underlying HCC progression.