Abstract
Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have important roles in diverse cellular processes and carcinogenesis. Homeobox (HOX)A cluster antisense RNA 2 (HOXA-AS2) is a 1048-bp lncRNA located between human HOXA3 and HOXA4 genes whose overactivation was previously found to promote the proliferation and invasion of solid tumors. However, its biological roles in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) remain unclear. This study showed that HOXA-AS2 was overexpressed in patients with AML. In addition, the increased HOXA-AS2 expression level correlated with higher white blood cell and bone marrow (BM) blast counts, unfavorable karyotype classification, earlier death, and inferior survival of patients with AML. Moreover, the results of an in vitro study showed that the silencing of HOXA-AS2 significantly inhibited the growth of leukemic cells through inducing G1/G0 phase arrest and apoptosis. In conclusion, these findings suggested that HOXA-AS2 functioned as an oncogene and might be a useful biomarker for diagnosis and prognostic prediction in patients with AML, providing a promising therapeutic target for AML.
No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
