A concise review of the regulatory, diagnostic, and prognostic implications of HOXB-AS3 in tumors

Abstract

Recent studies have reported that HOXB-AS3 (HOXB Cluster Antisense RNA 3) is an intriguing molecule with dual functionality as a long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) and putative coding peptide in tumorigenesis and progression. The significant expression alterations of HOXB-AS3 were detected in diverse cancer types and closely correlated with clinical stage and patient survival. Furthermore, HOXB-AS3 was involved in a spectrum of biological processes in solid tumors and hematological malignancies, such as stemness, lipid metabolism, migration, invasion, and tumor growth. This review comprehensively analyzes its clinical relevance for diagnosis and prognosis across human tumors and summarizes its functional role and regulatory mechanisms in different malignant tumors, including liver cancer, acute myeloid leukemia, ovarian cancer, lung cancer, endometrial carcinoma, colon cancer, and oral squamous cell carcinoma. Overall, HOXB-AS3 emerges as a promising biomarker and novel therapeutic target in multiple human tumors.

Keywords: HOXB-AS3; biological functions; clinical significance; human tumors; molecular target; regulatory mechanisms.

Figure 1

Genomic view for HOXB-AS3 gene for genomic location (A) extracted from GeneCards database (https://www.genecards.org/cgi-bin/carddisp.pl?gene=HOXB-AS3&keywords=HOXB-AS3), and genomic context (B) from NCBI database (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/404266).

Figure 2

Comprehensive Expression Profile of HOXB-AS3 Isoforms Across Human Tissues. Analysis of HOXB-AS3 gene expression encompassing all identified isoforms, utilizing data from GEPIA 2: Interactive Bodymap delineates the median expression of HOXB-AS3 in tumor and normal samples (A). Bar plots provide a detailed gene expression profile across tumor samples (B) and corresponding normal tissues (C). The acronyms used in this figure are listed in Supplementary Table 1 for reference.

Figure 3

The relative expression level of HOXB-AS3 assessed in pan-cancers (A), as well as in paired normal and tumor samples (B). The acronyms used in this figure are listed in Supplementary Table 1 for reference.

Figure 4

Data bars showing overall survival (OS) (A), disease-specific survival (DSS) (B), and progression-free interval (PFI) (C) in pan-cancer for HOXB-AS3. The horizontal bars represent the data, while the corresponding log10 (hazard ratio) (HR) values are presented on the far right. The cut-off value was determined using the median of HOXB-AS3 expression. Statistical significance was established at a p-value of < 0.05 and is marked with a red outer box. The acronyms used in this figure are listed in Supplementary Table 1 for reference.

Figure 5

Diagnostic ROC curves for HOXB-AS3 expression in normal and cancer tissues using UCSC XENA datasets. The acronyms used in this figure are listed in Supplementary Table 1 for reference.

Figure 6

The main role of HOXB-AS3 RNA and its encoded micro-peptide in the occurrence and development of multiple tumors.

Figure 7

Regulatory mechanisms of lncRNA HOXB‑AS3 in lung cancer (A), liver cancer (B), ovarian cancer and endometrial carcinoma (C), and acute myeloid leukemia (D).

Figure 8

Regulatory mechanisms of HOXB‑AS3 micro-peptide in colon cancer (A) and oral squamous cell carcinoma (B).