Background: Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been regarded as crucial regulators in many cancers, including clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). This research aimed to explore the biological role and molecular mechanism of lncRNA HCG18  in ccRCC.
Materials and Methods: The expression levels of HCG18, miR-152-3p  and RAB14  were examined by RT-qPCR. Cell viability, migration and invasion were examined by CCK-8 and transwell assays. Luciferase reporter and RIP assays were adopted to verify the interaction between miR-152-3p  and HCG18  or RAB14 .
Results: It was found that HCG18  expression was highly expressed in ccRCC tissues and cells, and patients with high expression of HCG18  had a short overall survival time. Moreover, HCG18  depletion attenuated ccRCC cell viability, migration and invasion. In addition, miR-152-3p  was confirmed as a downstream target of HCG18  and was inversely regulated by HCG18 , and RAB14  was a target of miR-152-3p . Functional assays demonstrated that miR-152-3p  silencing or RAB14  addition abolished the inhibitory effects of HCG18  knockdown on ccRCC progression.
Conclusion: The results of the present study indicated that HCG18  accelerated the development and progression of ccRCC by upregulating RAB14  via sponging miR-152-3p , suggesting a potential therapeutic target for patients with ccRCC.
Keywords: HCG18 , miR-152-3p , RAB14 , clear cell renal cell carcinoma