ATP7A Orchestrates Tumor Progression and Cuproptosis in Hepatocellular Carcinoma via the LINC02038‐miR‐506‐3p Regulatory Circuit

Abstract

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a lethal malignancy with limited treatment options, underscoring the urgent need for novel therapeutic targets. The copper transporter ATP7A has been implicated in cancer, but its precise role and regulatory mechanisms in HCC pathogenesis remain poorly understood. ATP7A expression was analyzed using public databases and validated in clinical HCC tissues and cell lines via qPCR and western blot. Functional assays were performed following ATP7A knockdown. Sensitivity to cuproptosis was assessed by measuring intracellular copper/ROS levels and IC50 of elesclomol‐Cu. The upstream regulatory axis was identified through bioinformatic prediction and verified by dual‐luciferase reporter and rescue experiments. The role of the LINC02038/miR‐506‐3p/ATP7A axis was further confirmed both in vitro and in a xenograft mouse model. ATP7A was significantly upregulated in HCC tissues and cell lines. ATP7A knockdown markedly inhibited HCC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, while simultaneously sensitizing cells to cuproptosis. Mechanistically, LINC02038, which was highly expressed in HCC, functioned as a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) to sponge tumor‐suppressive miR‐506‐3p, thereby upregulating ATP7A expression. This LINC02038/miR‐506‐3p/ATP7A axis was demonstrated to coordinately regulate malignant phenotypes and the expression of key cuproptosis‐related proteins (DLAT, FDX1, LIPT1). In vivo, silencing LINC02038 effectively suppressed tumor growth and recapitulated the molecular alterations of this axis and cuproptosis regulators. Our findings reveal that the LINC02038/miR‐506‐3p/ATP7A axis played a crucial oncogenic role in HCC by driving tumor progression and modulating cuproptosis. This axis represents a promising prognostic biomarker and a potential therapeutic target for HCC intervention.