Identification and functional analysis of five hub lncRNAs associated with oncogenesis of Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Liver cancer stands as one of the most pervasive and aggressive malignant neoplasms on a global scale, with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) accounting for over 90% of primary liver cancer cases. It has been documented that long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) plays a significant role in various pathological contexts and serves as a pivotal determinant in numerous malignancies, including HCC. Leveraging mRNA sequencing data and lncRNA expression profiles from 346 HCC samples and 50 pairs of adjacent normal samples sourced from the TCGA database, a comprehensive bioinformatics analysis was conducted. The dataset was randomly partitioned into a training subset and a validation subset. This rigorous analysis aimed to pinpoint the lncRNAs intricately linked to the oncogenesis of HCC, unveiling distinct expression patterns of these lncRNAs between normal liver and HCC samples across different stages. Moreover, the construction of a lncRNA-mRNA co-expression network led to the identification of five central lncRNA hubs (AC091057, AC099850, AC012073, DDX11-AS1, and AL035461). Subsequently, these five lncRNAs were validated using the independent validation set. In summary, this investigation successfully discerned five lncRNAs closely associated with the oncogenesis of HCC, thereby shedding light on their potential utility as diagnostic or therapeutic targets for this formidable disease.