Regulatory mechanisms and potential medical applications of HNF1A-AS1 in cancers

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are defined as a class of non-protein-coding RNAs that are longer than 200 nucleotides. Previous studies have shown that lncRNAs play a vital role in the progression of multiple diseases, which highlights their potential for medical applications. The lncRNA hepatocyte nuclear factor 1 homeobox A (HNF1A) antisense RNA 1 (HNF1A-AS1) is known to be abnormally expressed in multiple cancers. HNF1A-AS1 exerts its oncogenic roles through a variety of molecular mechanisms. Moreover, aberrant HNF1A-AS1 expression is associated with diverse clinical features in cancer patients. Therefore, HNF1A-AS1 is a promising biomarker for tumor diagnosis and prognosis and thus a potential candidate for tumor therapy. This review summarizes current studies on the role and the underlying mechanisms of HNF1A-AS1 various cancer types, including gastric cancer, liver cancer, glioma, lung cancer, colorectal cancer, breast cancer, bladder cancer, osteosarcoma, esophageal adenocarcinoma, hemangioma, oral squamous cell carcinoma, laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma, cervical cancer, as well as gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms. We also describe the diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic value of HNF1A-AS1 for multiple cancer patients.