Iranian Journal of Pathology

Upregulation of the HOXA10-AS1 LncRNA in Gastric Cancer: An Expression and Bioinformatics Analysis

Document Type : Original Research

Authors

Farideh Ghanbari Mardasi 1, 2
Sharareh Eskandarieh 3
Reza Taslimi 4
Mohsen Eghtedari 2, 5
Zeinab Jamali 1
Massomeh Safaei 6
Majid Kabuli 1
Reza Shirkoohi 2

1 Department of Medical Genetics, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

2 Cancer Biology Research Center, Cancer Institute of Iran, Imam Khomeini Hospital Complex, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

3 Multiple Sclerosis Research Center, Neuroscience Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

4 Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

5 Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Biotechnology, Amol University of Special Modern Technologies (AUSMT), Amol, Iran

6 Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Cancer Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

https://doi.org/10.30699/ijp.2025.2046969.3385
Abstract
Background & Objective: Gastric cancer (GC) is a lethal disease with poor prognosis. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) involved in the development of cancer through changes in their expression levels. In present study, we aimed to evaluate HOXA10-AS gene expression and its potential as a biomarker in GC.
Methods: In this study 60 subjects (30 gastric carcinoma tissues and 30 adjacent non-carcinoma tissues) were examined. The expression level of the HOXA10-AS gene was evaluated using quantitative PCR. Furthermore, clinicopathological characteristicswere taken into consideration. Diagnostic value of the HOXA10-AS was examined by ROC curve analysis. Bioinformatics analysis was performed using different databases.
Results: Expression of HOXA10-AS was significantly upregulated in GC tumoral tissues. Roc curve analysis revealed that the diagnostic power of HOXA10-AS was high (AUC = 0.64) in the tumor compared to the normal GC tissues.
Conclusion: Our findings show that HOXA10-AS expression level is higher in the GC tumor compared to the adjacent non-carcinoma tissues and can act as a strong diagnostic biomarker in GC patients.

Keywords

Gastric cancer
HOXA10-AS
lncRNAs

Subjects

Copyright © 2026. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. The license also allows users to adapt, remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, including commercial use.

1.     Smyth EC, Nilsson M, Grabsch HI, van Grieken NC, Lordick F. Gastric cancer. The Lancet. 2020;396 (10251):635-48. [DOI:10.1016/S0140-6736(20)31288-5] [PMID]
2.     Eusebi LH, Telese A, Marasco G, Bazzoli F, Zagari RM. Gastric cancer prevention strategies: a global perspective. J Gastroenterol Hepatol . 2020;35(9):1495-502.       [DOI:10.1111/jgh.15037] [PMID]
3.     Bernards N, Creemers GJ, Nieuwenhuijzen GA, Bosscha K, Pruijt JF, Lemmens VE. No improvement in median survival for patients with metastatic gastric cancer despite increased use of chemotherapy. Ann Oncol. 2013 ;24(12):3056-60. [DOI:10.1093/annonc/mdt401] [PMID]
4.     Fanaei K, Ameli F, Salahshourifar I. Evaluation of Immunohistochemical Expression of Survivin and its Correlation with qRT-PCR Results as a Useful Diagnostic Marker in Gastric Cancer Iranian Journal of Public Health 2024;53(2):462. [DOI:10.18502/ijph.v53i2.14931] [PMID] [PMCID]
5.     Necula L, Matei L, Dragu D, Neagu AI, Mambet C, Nedeianu S, et al. Recent advances in gastric cancer early diagnosis. World journal of gastroenterology. 2019 ;25(17):2029. [DOI:10.3748/wjg.v25.i17.2029] [PMID] [PMCID]
6.     Johnston FM, Beckman M. Updates on management of gastric cancer. Curr Oncol Rep. 2019;21:1-9. [DOI:10.1007/s11912-019-0820-4] [PMID]
7.     Aftabi Y, Ansarin K, Shanehbandi D, Khalili M, Seyedrezazadeh E, Rahbarnia L, et al. Long non‐coding RNAs as potential biomarkers in the prognosis and diagnosis of lung cancer: A review and target analysis. IUBMB life. 2021;73(2):307-27.      [DOI:10.1002/iub.2430] [PMID]
8.     Jiang MC, Ni JJ, Cui WY, Wang BY, Zhuo W. Emerging roles of lncRNA in cancer and therapeutic opportunities. Am J Cancer Res. 2019 Jul 1;9(7):1354-1366. [PMID] [PMCID]
9.     Huang W, Cui X, Chen J, Feng Y, Song E, Li J, et al. Long non-coding RNA NKILA inhibits migration and invasion of tongue squamous cell carcinoma cells via suppressing epithelial-mesenchymal transition. Oncotarget. 2016;7(38):62520.            [DOI:10.18632/oncotarget.11528] [PMID] [PMCID]
10.  Wang SH, Zhang WJ, Wu XC, Zhang MD, Weng MZ, Zhou D, et al. Long non-coding RNA Malat1 promotes gallbladder cancer development by acting as a molecular sponge to regulate miR-206. Oncotarget. 2016; 7(25):37857. [DOI:10.18632/oncotarget.9347] [PMID] [PMCID]
11.  Chen X, Li D, Gao Y, Tang W, Iw L, Cao Y, et al. Long intergenic noncoding RNA 00152 promotes glioma cell proliferation and invasion by interacting with MiR-16. Cell PhysiolBiochem. 2018;46(3):1055-64.            [DOI:10.1159/000488836] [PMID]
12.  Sun L, Li J, Yan W, Yao Z, Wang R, Zhou X, et al. H19 promotes aerobic glycolysis, proliferation, and immune escape of gastric cancer cells through the microRNA‐519d‐3p/lactate dehydrogenase a axis. Cancer Sci. 2021;112(6):2245-59. [DOI:10.1111/cas.14896] [PMID] [PMCID]
13.  Es HA, Montazeri L, Aref AR, Vosough M, Baharvand H. Personalized cancer medicine: an organoid approach.TrendsBiotechnol. 2018;36(4):358-71.  [DOI:10.1016/j.tibtech.2017.12.005] [PMID]
14.  Yan X, Cong B, Chen Q, Liu L, Luan X, Du J, et al. Silencing lncRNA HOXA10-AS decreases cell proliferation of oral cancer and HOXA10-antisense RNA can serve as a novel prognostic predictor. Int. J. Med. Res. 2020;48(8):0300060520934254. [DOI:10.1177/0300060520934254] [PMID] [PMCID]
15.  Dong CY, Cui J, Li DH, Li Q, Hong XY. HOXA10-AS: A novel oncogenic long non coding RNA in glioma. Oncol. Rep. 2018 ;40(5):2573-83.  [DOI:10.3892/or.2018.6662]
16.  Wisnieski F, Calcagno DQ, Leal MF, dos Santos LC, de Oliveira Gigek C, et al. Reference genes for quantitative RT-PCR data in gastric tissues and cell lines. World J Gastroenterol: WJG. 2013 ;19(41):7121.    [DOI:10.3748/wjg.v19.i41.7121] [PMID] [PMCID]
17.  Henry NL, Hayes DF. Cancer biomarkers. Mol Oncol. 2012;6(2):140-6. [DOI:10.1016/j.molonc.2012.01.010] [PMID] [PMCID]
18.  Ponting CP, Belgard TG. Transcribed dark matter: meaning or myth?.Hum. Mol. Genet. 2010 ;19(R2): R162-8. [DOI:10.1093/hmg/ddq362] [PMID] [PMCID]
19.  Bhan A, Soleimani M, Mandal SS. Long noncoding RNA and cancer: a new paradigm. Cancer Res. 2017 ;77(15):3965-81. [DOI:10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-16-2634] [PMID] [PMCID]
20.  Qian Y, Shi L, Luo Z. Long non-coding RNAs in cancer: implications for diagnosis, prognosis, and therapy. Fron in med. 2020;7:612393.          [DOI:10.3389/fmed.2020.612393] [PMID] [PMCID]
21.  Sheng K, Lu J, Zhao H. ELK1-induced upregulation of lncRNA HOXA10-AS promotes lung adenocarcinoma progression by increasing Wnt/β-catenin signaling. BiochemBiophys Res Commun. 2018 ;501(3):612-8. [DOI:10.1016/j.bbrc.2018.04.224] [PMID]
Iranian Journal of Pathology
Volume 21, Issue 1
Winter 2026
Pages 53-58

  • Receive Date 27 February 2025
  • Revise Date 10 April 2025
  • Accept Date 31 May 2025

Home

Guide for Authors

Submit Manuscript

Contact Us