Since numerous studies have reported that lncRNAs can exert their regulatory functions in HCC progression in a miRNA-dependent pattern to protect target mRNAs from being degraded27,28, we assumed DLGAP1-AS1 to act as a ceRNA, and found using starBase that DLGAP1-AS1 sequence contained the binding sites for miR-26a-5p and miR-26b-5p, whose lowered expression in HCC cells and downregulation by DLGAP1-AS1 were illustrated. This evidence concerns the gene PTGDR and hepatocellular carcinoma.