Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has become the fifth leading cause of cancer mortality worldwide in the past decade.1 Dysregulated long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are closely associated with its occurrence and progression. Recently identified lncRNA named “HOXA transcript at the distal tip” (HOTTIP) has been considered as an oncogene in multiple cancers. However, the mechanism underlying HOTTIP-mediated hepatocarcinogenesis remains mostly unknown.