Histomolecular characterisation of hepatitis B virus induced liver cancer

Exploring the double-edged role of cellular senescence in chronic liver disease for new treatment approaches

Cellular senescence is a fundamental yet complex defense mechanism that restricts excessive proliferation, maintains cellular homeostasis under various stress conditions-such as oncogenic activation and inflammation-and serves as a dynamic stress response program involved in development, aging, and immunity. Its reversibility depends on essential maintenance components. Cellular senescence is a "double-edged sword": on one hand, it limits the malignant proliferation of damaged cells, thereby preventing tumor development. However, by retaining secretory functions, senescent cells can also induce persistent changes in the microenvironment and disrupt homeostasis, leading to tissue inflammation, fibrosis, and carcinogenesis. Senescence plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of various chronic liver diseases, including chronic viral hepatitis, liver fibrosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. It exerts a dual influence by facilitating immune evasion and inflammation in chronic viral hepatitis, modulating hepatic stellate cell activity in fibrosis, and reshaping the tumor microenvironment to accelerate hepatocarcinogenesis. This article reviews the characteristics of cellular senescence and its role in the pathogenesis of these chronic liver diseases while exploring potential treatment and prevention strategies. The aim is to provide a comprehensive reference for future clinical and research investigations into chronic liver disease.

Pyroptosis drives tumor progression and immune evasion in Hepatocellular Carcinoma: a single-cell and spatial transcriptomic study

BACKGROUND

Pyroptosis is a form of programmed cell death characterized by inflammasome activation and the release of inflammatory cytokines, which induce a strong immune response. Unlike apoptosis, pyroptosis can elicit potent immune stimulation, potentially playing a crucial role in anti-tumor immunity. However, it may also promote tumor progression by altering the tumor microenvironment and facilitating immune evasion. This study investigates pyroptosis-related gene expression in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), with a focus on identifying key genes that influence prognosis and tumor microenvironment dynamics.

METHODS

Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) data from 10 HCC patients were obtained from the GEO database (GSE149614), along with spatial transcriptomic data and bulk RNA-seq data from TCGA. We performed data processing and quality control using the Seurat package and applied machine learning techniques, including LASSO regression, to identify key pyroptosis-related genes. Functional analyses, including Gene Ontology (GO), KEGG, and GSVA, were conducted to explore biological pathways. Pyroptosis levels were quantified across cell types, and survival analysis was performed to evaluate prognostic impacts. Cell communication and immune infiltration were also assessed to understand the tumor microenvironment.

RESULTS

We identified CHMP4B as a key pyroptosis-related gene in HCC, significantly associated with poor prognosis. High CHMP4B expression was correlated with shorter overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS). Functional enrichment analysis showed that CHMP4B is involved in cell cycle regulation, DNA repair, and cytoskeletal organization. Spatial transcriptomics revealed heterogeneous CHMP4B expression in the tumor microenvironment, with higher levels found in advanced tumor stages. Moreover, high CHMP4B expression was associated with increased infiltration of immunosuppressive cells, such as monocytes and macrophages, and upregulation of immune checkpoint molecules (PD-L1, CTLA4), suggesting its role in promoting immune evasion.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings highlight CHMP4B as a critical regulator of pyroptosis in HCC, influencing tumor progression and immune modulation. High CHMP4B expression may facilitate the development of an immunosuppressive microenvironment, enabling immune escape and tumor growth. The study underscores CHMP4B's potential as a prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target in HCC. However, the limited sample size calls for further validation using larger datasets and multi-omics approaches, such as proteomics and metabolomics, to fully elucidate its functional role in HCC pathogenesis.

Identification of key exosomes-related genes in hepatitis B virus-related hepatocellular carcinoma

One of the primary risk factors for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the hepatitis B virus (HBV). Exosomes have a significant impact on the dissemination of HBV-infected HCC. This study aimed to screen HBV exosome-related hub genes in HCC for a better understanding of the HCC pathogenic mechanism. First, multiple HBV-induced HCC datasets were collected from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database, and the exosome-related gene set was obtained from relevant literature. Nine HBV-related HCC exosome hub genes (HP, C9, APOA1, PON1, TTR, LPA, FCN2, FCN3, and MBL2) were selected through differential analysis and network analysis. An analysis of the receiver operation characteristic (ROC) revealed that these genes had good diagnostic value. These hub genes were primarily enriched in biological processes such as the citrate cycle tca cycle, phenylalanine metabolism, and fatty acid metabolism, according to gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA). Furthermore, this study predicted the miRNA (hsa-miR-590-5p) targeting LPA, as well as 12 lncRNAs (AL121655, SAP30-DT, LINC00472, etc.) targeting hsa-miR-590-5p. Finally, nelarabine, methylprednisolone, and methylprednisolone were predicted to be possible medications that target the hub gene based on the CellMiner database. To sum up, this work was crucial for discovering new biomarkers and comprehending the function of exosome-related genes in the growth of HBV-infected HCC.

Pollutants in Microenvironmental Cellular Interactions During Liver Inflammation Cancer Transition and the Application of Multi-Omics Analysis

This study categorizes pollutant-induced inflammation-cancer transition into three stages: non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), liver fibrosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). It systematically reveals the temporal heterogeneity of pollutant-induced liver damage. The findings indicate that pollutants not only directly damage hepatocytes but also modulate key cells in the immune microenvironment, such as hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) and Kupffer cells, thereby amplifying inflammatory and fibrotic responses, ultimately accelerating the progression of HCC. Mechanistically, in the early stage (NAFLD), pollutants primarily cause hepatocyte injury through oxidative stress and lipid metabolism dysregulation. During the fibrosis stage, pollutants promote liver fibrosis by inducing extracellular matrix accumulation, while in the HCC stage, they drive tumorigenesis via activation of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway and p53 inactivation. Through multi-omics analyses, this study identifies critical pathogenic molecules and signaling pathways regulated by pollutants, providing new insights into their pathogenic mechanisms, potential biomarkers, and therapeutic targets. These findings offer valuable guidance for the development of diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for liver diseases and the formulation of environmental health risk prevention measures.

Key oncogenes and candidate drugs for hepatitis-B-driven hepatocellular carcinoma progression

BACKGROUND

This study aimed to uncover the key hepatitis-B (HB)-related liver cancer (LC) promoting genes, and clarity their interrelationships, enrichments, impacts on LC immune infiltration, and potential drugs targeting these genes.

METHODS

The LC-survival associated genes were acquired from the LIHC samples of the TCGA-database; and HB related genes from the DisGeNET database. The intersection was used to screen the key genes. Using the 8 HB-LC genes, we constructed prognostic models for survival prediction of HBV positive patients with LIHC and performed enrichment analysis, interaction analysis, immune infiltration analysis, and potential drug digging from the GTRP and GDSC databases.

RESULTS

In the core intersection of different sets. Based on these genes, prognostic cox regression models for OS and DFS were constructed. Overall, HB-LC genes were significantly negatively correlated with Th17, MAIT, monocytes, and CD4 Naive cells, while they were positively correlated with B cells, nTreg cells, and Tr1 cells. Among 8 genes, MKI67, EZH2, and CDCA5 were hub ones. Finally, 7 drugs target at least three HB-LC genes and can be used as novel drugs.

CONCLUSIONS

Together, eight key HB-LC genes play important cancer-promoting roles in LC, which may be the molecular mechanism by which HBV drives the development of LC.

A MR-PheWAS and bidirectional Mendelian randomization study: Exploring for causal relationships of pancreatic cancer

It is unknown what causes pancreatic cancer. We conducted a phenome-wide Mendelian randomization analysis (MR-pheWAS), a bidirectional Mendelian study, and a systematic review of research in order to thoroughly investigate any causal association between pancreatic cancer and Atlas. We used phenome-wide Mendelian randomization analysis to test for associations between pancreatic cancer and 776 phenotypes (n = 452,264) of Atlas in the UK Biobank. Causality is confirmed by two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis using correlation found by false discovery rate correction. Simultaneously, a comprehensive evaluation of pancreatic cancer MR studies was conducted in order to complement our findings and harmonize the existing evidence. According to the inverse-variance-weighted model, a total of 41 out of 776 phenotypes had a nominal significance level (P < .05) genetic prediction association with pancreatic cancer. Only genetically predicted pancreatic cancer was shown to be linked with elevated eosinophil counts following false discovery rate correction (P = .031) when several tests were taken into account. Pancreatic cancer and eosinophils were shown to be positively causally associated to one another, establishing a self-loop, according to two-sample MR validation in the IEU database (OR = 1.011, 95% CI: 1.002-1.020, P = .010) (OR = 1.229, 95% CI: 1.037-1.458, P = .017). Although MR-pheWAS found a strong causal relationship between eosinophils and pancreatic cancer, it also found a negative exclusion value for each phenotype and a significant number of suggestive association phenotypes that offered guidance for further research.

IL-1 receptor-associated kinase family proteins: An overview of their role in liver disease

The interleukin-1 receptor-associated kinase (IRAK) family is a group of serine-threonine kinases that regulates various cellular processes via toll-like receptor (TLR)/interleukin-1 receptor (IL1R)-mediated signaling. The IRAK family comprises four members, including IRAK1, IRAK2, IRAK3, and IRAK4, which play an important role in the expression of various inflammatory genes, thereby contributing to the inflammatory response. IRAKs are key proteins in chronic and acute liver diseases, and recent evidence has implicated IRAK family proteins (IRAK1, IRAK3, and IRAK4) in the progression of liver-related disorders, including alcoholic liver disease, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, hepatitis virus infection, acute liver failure, liver ischemia-reperfusion injury, and hepatocellular carcinoma. In this article, we provide a comprehensive review of the role of IRAK family proteins and their associated inflammatory signaling pathways in the pathogenesis of liver diseases. The purpose of this study is to explore whether IRAK family proteins can serve as the main target for the treatment of liver related diseases.

Liver cancer wars: plant-derived polyphenols strike back

Liver cancer currently represents the leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. The majority of liver cancer arises in the context of chronic inflammation and cirrhosis. Surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy have been the guideline-recommended treatment options for decades. Despite enormous advances in the field of liver cancer therapy, an effective cure is yet to be found. Plant-derived polyphenols constitute a large family of phytochemicals, with pleiotropic effects and little toxicity. They can drive cellular events and modify multiple signaling pathways which involves initiation, progression and metastasis of liver cancer and play an important role in contributing to anti-liver cancer drug development. The potential of plant-derived polyphenols for treating liver cancer has gained attention from research clinicians and pharmaceutical scientists worldwide in the last decades. This review overviews hepatic carcinogenesis and briefly discusses anti-liver cancer mechanisms associated with plant-derived polyphenols, specifically involving cell proliferation, apoptosis, autophagy, angiogenesis, oxidative stress, inflammation, and metastasis. We focus on plant-derived polyphenols with experiment-based chemopreventive and chemotherapeutic properties against liver cancer and generalize their basic molecular mechanisms of action. We also discuss potential opportunities and challenges in translating plant-derived polyphenols from preclinical success into clinical applications.