Subsequently, qRT-PCR or Western blot was adopted to analyze the expressions of MAPKAPK5-AS1, miR-429 and ZEB1 in collected HCC tissues and adjacent tissues, and we found that MAPKAPK5-AS1 and ZEB1 mRNA expressions were considerably elevated in HCC tissues, and miR-429 expression was markedly reduced in HCC tissues (Fig. 1I-L). Here, MAPKAPK5 is linked to hepatocellular carcinoma.