Cellular prognostic markers in hepatitis-related hepatocellular carcinoma

Role of immune cell homeostasis in research and treatment response in hepatocellular carcinoma

Introduction Recently, immune cells within the tumor microenvironment (TME) have become crucial in regulating cancer progression and treatment responses. The dynamic interactions between tumors and immune cells are emerging as a promising strategy to activate the host's immune system against various cancers. The development and progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) involve complex biological processes, with the role of the TME and tumor phenotypes still not fully understood. Therefore, it is essential to investigate the importance of immune cell homeostasis in HCC. Additionally, understanding the molecular mechanisms and biological functions underlying tumor-immune cell interactions is increasingly recognized as vital for improving therapeutic outcomes in clinical settings. Methods A total of 790 HCC samples were selected from public databases and real-world independent clinical cohorts. Machine learning methods, focusing on immune-related indicators, were applied to these samples. The Boruta algorithm was employed to develop an ICI score, which was used to assess patient prognosis and predict responses to immunotherapy. Additionally, a new immune subtype analysis of HCC was performed. Cellular-level experiments confirmed the interaction between TME-related factors and the tumor microenvironment in HCC. To further validate the predictive power of the ICI score, a clinical cohort study was conducted at an independent clinical center. Results By evaluating immune gene expression levels, immune cell abundance, Immunescore, and Stromalscore, we initially identified three distinct immune subtypes of HCC, each showing significant differences in survival rates and heterogeneity. Subsequently, DEGs from 1022 immune subtypes were used to classify HCC samples into three immune genotypes, each characterized by distinct prognosis and tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) profiles. Furthermore, we developed the ICI score, a novel immunophenotyping method for HCC, which revealed significant variations based on gender, stage, progression, and DNA mutation profiles (p < 0.05). The ICI score also effectively predicted responses to immunotherapies, particularly through the chemokine signaling, focal adhesion, and JAK/STAT signaling pathways. Conclusion This research demonstrated that TME and immunophenotyping clusters can enhance prognostic accuracy for HCC patients. The independent prognostic indicators identified underscore the connection between tumor phenotype and the immune environment in HCC.

A macropinocytosis-related gene signature predicts the prognosis and immune microenvironment in hepatocellular carcinoma

Background

Available treatments for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), a common human malignancy with a low survival rate, remain unsatisfactory. Macropinocytosis (MPC), a type of endocytosis that involves the non-specific uptake of dissolved molecules, has been shown to contribute to HCC pathology; however, its biological mechanism remains unknown.

Methods

The current study identified 27 macropinocytosis-related genes (MRGs) from 71 candidate genes using bioinformatics. The R software was used to create a prognostic signature model by filtering standardized mRNA expression data from HCC patients and using various methods to verify the reliability of the model and indicate immune activity.

Results

The prognostic signature was constructed using seven MPC-related differentially expressed genes, GSK3B, AXIN1, RAC1, KEAP1, EHD1, GRB2, and SNX5, through LASSO Cox regression. The risk score was acquired from the expression of these genes and their corresponding coefficients. HCC patients in the discovery and validation cohorts were stratified, and the survival of low-risk score patients was improved in both cohorts. Time-dependent ROC analysis indicated that the model's prediction reliability was the highest in the short term. Subsequent immunologic analysis, including KEGG, located the immune action pathway of the differentially expressed genes in the direction of the cancer pathway, etc. Immune infiltration and immune checkpoint tests provided valuable guidance for future follow-up experiments.

Conclusion

A risk model with MRGs was constructed to effectively predict HCC patient prognoses and suggest changes in the immune microenvironment during the disease process. The findings should benefit the development of a prognostic stratification and treatment strategy for HCC.

Cell cycle kinases (AUKA, CDK1, PLK1) are prognostic biomarkers and correlated with tumor-infiltrating leukocytes in HBV related HCC

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the high incidence cancers and third leading cause of cancer-related mortality. HBV is the top most risk factor accounting for 50-80% of the HCC cases. Kinases: Aurora kinase A (AURKA), cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK1) and Polo-like kinase 1 (PLK1), the key regulators of cell mitosis are overexpressed in varieties of cancers including HCC. However, the exact role of these genes in prognosis of HCC is not fully unveiled. In addition, there is no such an accurate prognostic biomarker for HBV-related HCC. To address this issue, we performed a multidimensional analysis of AURKA, CDK1 and PLK1 with a series of publicly available databases in multiple cancers and with experimental validation in HBV-related HCC tissues. Overexpression of AURKA, CDK1 and PLK1 was found in multiple cancers including HCC. Elevated expression of these genes could result from lowered DNA methylation and genomic alterations. Transcriptional overexpression was significantly correlated with poor prognosis of HCC patients. The expression levels were also significantly positively associated with tumor grades and stages. Furthermore, the expression levels of these genes had a strong correlation with infiltration of immune cells. Our analysis shows that AURKA, CDK1 and PLK1 are correlated with immune infiltration and are the prognostic biomarkers for HBV-induced HCC.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

Long noncoding RNA MAPKAPK5-AS1 promotes metastasis through regulation miR-376b-5p/ECT2 axis in hepatocellular carcinoma

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common diseases threatening human health worldwide. However, the molecular mechanisms of HCC are still unclear. Here, we identified a differentially expressed lncRNA called MAPKAPK5-AS1(abbreviation: MK5-AS1) and elucidated its role and molecular mechanism in the development of HCC.

METHODS

Real-time PCR (RT-PCR) was used to verify the expression of MK5-AS1 in hepatocarcinoma cell lines and tumor tissues of HCC patients. The biological functions of MK5-AS1 in HCC cells was assessed both in vitro and in vivo assays. The Lncbase, miRDB and TargetScan databases were used to predict the lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA interactions. RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) and double luciferase reporter gene assays further verified the interactions.

RESULTS

MK5-AS1 expression was significantly upregulated in HCC tissues and cell lines. Furthermore, high MK5-AS1 expression was positively associated with tumor progression and poor prognosis. In vitro and in vivo experiments confirmed that overexpressed MK5-AS1 promoted migration and invasion of HCC cells. Bioinformatics analysis based on Lncbase, miRDB and TargetScan databases showed MK5-AS1 competitively bound to miR-376b-5p that prevented epithelial cell transforming sequence 2 (ECT2) from miRNA-mediated degradation, thus facilitated HCC metastasis.

CONCLUSION

Our results established a tumor promotive role of MK5-AS1 in HCC pathogenesis.

Hepatitis B virus pathogenesis relevant immunosignals uncovering amino acids utilization related risk factors guide artificial intelligence-based precision medicine

Background: Although immune microenvironment-related chemokines, extracellular matrix (ECM), and intrahepatic immune cells are reported to be highly involved in hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related diseases, their roles in diagnosis, prognosis, and drug sensitivity evaluation remain unclear. Here, we aimed to study their clinical use to provide a basis for precision medicine in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) via the amalgamation of artificial intelligence. Methods: High-throughput liver transcriptomes from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO), NODE (https://www.bio.sino.org/node), the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), and our in-house hepatocellular carcinoma patients were collected in this study. Core immunosignals that participated in the entire diseases course of hepatitis B were explored using the "Gene set variation analysis" R package. Using ROC curve analysis, the impact of core immunosignals and amino acid utilization related gene on hepatocellular carcinoma patient's clinical outcome were calculated. The utility of core immunosignals as a classifier for hepatocellular carcinoma tumor tissue was evaluated using explainable machine-learning methods. A novel deep residual neural network model based on immunosignals was constructed for the long-term overall survival (LS) analysis. In vivo drug sensitivity was calculated by the "oncoPredict" R package. Results: We identified nine genes comprising chemokines and ECM related to hepatitis B virus-induced inflammation and fibrosis as CLST signals. Moreover, CLST was co-enriched with activated CD4+ T cells bearing harmful factors (aCD4) during all stages of hepatitis B virus pathogenesis, which was also verified by our hepatocellular carcinoma data. Unexpectedly, we found that hepatitis B virus-hepatocellular carcinoma patients in the CLSThighaCD4high subgroup had the shortest overall survival (OS) and were characterized by a risk gene signature associated with amino acids utilization. Importantly, characteristic genes specific to CLST/aCD4 showed promising clinical relevance in identifying patients with early-stage hepatocellular carcinoma via explainable machine learning. In addition, the 5-year long-term overall survival of hepatocellular carcinoma patients can be effectively classified by CLST/aCD4 based GeneSet-ResNet model. Subgroups defined by CLST and aCD4 were significantly involved in the sensitivity of hepatitis B virus-hepatocellular carcinoma patients to chemotherapy treatments. Conclusion: CLST and aCD4 are hepatitis B virus pathogenesis-relevant immunosignals that are highly involved in hepatitis B virus-induced inflammation, fibrosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. Gene set variation analysis derived immunogenomic signatures enabled efficient diagnostic and prognostic model construction. The clinical application of CLST and aCD4 as indicators would be beneficial for the precision management of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Countrywide Survey of Plants Used for Liver Disease Management by Traditional Healers in Burkina Faso

Liver disease is highly prevalent in Africa, especially in the western African country Burkina Faso, due to the presence of multiple biological and chemical aggressors of the liver. Furthermore, diagnosis and appropriate care for liver disease are uneven and usually insufficient. This drives local communities to turn to folk medicine based on medicinal plants from healers. Small scale, ethnopharmacological studies on reputed hepatoprotective plants have been carried out in defined regions worldwide, but so far, no study has been carried out on a countrywide scale. Therefore, we have explored traditional healers’ practices in all thirteen regions of Burkina Faso. We interviewed 575 healers and we compiled a database with 2,006 plant entries. Here, we report results on liver nosology, liver pathologies, medicinal plants used for liver disease, and traditional practices through the lens of Burkinabe healers. Our goal was to give a full inventory of medicinal plants used to treat liver disease and to determine if there was consensus on the use of specific plants for specific symptoms. Analysis of the medicinal plants in use across the whole country provides local communities with a wider evidence base to determine which plants may be more effective in treating liver disease and could provide the scientific community, with a shortlist of plants suitable for chemical and pharmacological investigation to validate the plants’ therapeutic role.

Elevated CDK5R1 predicts worse prognosis in hepatocellular carcinoma based on TCGA data

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a malignant tumor with rapid progression, high recurrence rate and poor prognosis. The objective of our investigation was to explore the prognostic value of CDK5R1 in HCC.

Methods: The raw data of HCC raw data were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test, Kruskal–Wallis test and logistic regression were applied to investigate the relevance between the CDK5R1 expression and clinicopathologic characteristics in HCC. Kaplan–Meier and Cox regression analysis were employed to examine the association between clinicopathologic features and survival. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was applied to annotate the biological function of CDK5R1.

Results: CDK5R1 was highly expressed in HCC tissues. The high expression of CDK5R1 in HCC tissues was significantly associated with tumor status (P=0.00), new tumor event (P=0.00), clinical stage (P=0.00) and topography (P=0.00). Elevated CDK5R1 had significant correlation with worse overall survival (OS; P=7.414e−04), disease-specific survival (DSS; P=5.642e−04), disease-free interval (DFI; P=1.785e−05) and progression-free interval (PFI; P=2.512e−06). Besides, univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis uncovered that increased CDK5R1 can independently predict adverse OS (P=0.037, hazard ratio [HR]= 1.7 (95% CI [1.0–2.7])), DFI (P=0.007, hazard ratio [HR]= 3.0 (95% CI [1.4–6.7])), PFI (P=0.007, hazard ratio [HR]= 2.8 (95% CI [1.3–5.9])). GSEA disclosed that notch signaling pathway and non-small cell lung cancer were prominently enriched in CDK5R1 high expression phenotype.

Conclusions: Increased CDK5R1 may act as a promising independent prognostic factor of poor survival in HCC.

Increased E2F2 predicts poor prognosis in patients with HCC based on TCGA data

Background

The E2F family of transcription factor 2 (E2F2) plays an important role in the development and progression of various tumors, but its association with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains unknown. Our study aimed to investigate the role and clinical significance of E2F2 in HCC.

Methods

HCC raw data were extracted from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). Wilcoxon signed-rank test, Kruskal-Wallis test and logistic regression were applied to analyze the relationship between the expression of E2F2 and clinicopathologic characteristics. Cox regression and Kaplan-Meier were employed to evaluate the correlation between clinicopathologic features and survival. The biological function of E2F2 was annotated by Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA).

Results

The expression of E2F2 was increased in HCC samples. The expression of elevated E2F2 in HCC samples was prominently correlated with histologic grade (OR = 2.62 for G3–4 vs. G1–2, p = 1.80E-05), clinical stage (OR = 1.74 for III-IV vs. I-II, p = 0.03), T (OR = 1.64 for T3–4 vs.T1–2, p = 0.04), tumor status (OR = 1.88 for with tumor vs. tumor free, p = 3.79E-03), plasma alpha fetoprotein (AFP) value (OR = 3.18 for AFP ≥ 400 vs AFP<20, p = 2.16E-04; OR = 2.50 for 20 ≤ AFP<400 vs AFP<20, p = 2.56E-03). Increased E2F2 had an unfavorable OS (p = 7.468e− 05), PFI (p = 3.183e− 05), DFI (p = 0.001), DSS (p = 4.172e− 05). Elevated E2F2 was independently bound up with OS (p = 0.004, hazard ratio [HR] = 2.4 (95% CI [1.3–4.2])), DFI (P = 0.029, hazard ratio [HR] = 2.0 (95% CI [1.1–3.7])) and PFI (P = 0.005, hazard ratio [HR] = 2.2 (95% CI [1.3–3.9])). GSEA disclosed that cell circle, RNA degradation, pyrimidine metabolism, base excision repair, aminoacyl tRNA biosynthesis, DNA replication, p53 signaling pathway, nucleotide excision repair, ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis, citrate cycle TCA cycle were notably enriched in E2F2 high expression phenotype.

Conclusions

Elevated E2F2 can be a promising independent prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target for HCC. Additionally, cell cycle, pyrimidine metabolism, DNA replication, p53 signaling pathway, ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis, the citrate cycle TCA cycle may be the key pathway by which E2F2 participates in the initial and progression of HCC.

Long noncoding RNA ZFPM2-AS1 acts as a miRNA sponge and promotes cell invasion through regulation of miR-139/GDF10 in hepatocellular carcinoma

Background

Emerging evidence has shown that dysregulated expression of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) is implicated in liver hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the role and molecular mechanism of differentially expressed lncRNAs in HCC has not been fully explained.

Methods

The expression profiles of lncRNAs in HCC samples were derived from microarrays analysis or downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), and their correlation with prognosis and clinical characteristics were further analyzed. Silencing of lncRNA ZFPM2-AS1 was conducted to assess the effect of ZFPM2-AS1 in vitro. The miRcode and Target Scan databases were used to determine the lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA interactions. The biological functions were demonstrated by luciferase reporter assay, western blotting, PCR and rescue experiments.

Results

The expression level of lncRNA ZFPM2-AS1 was significantly higher in HCC tissues than in adjacent normal tissues, and higher ZFPM2-AS1 was remarkably related to poor survival. Functionally, silencing of lncRNA ZFPM2-AS1 inhibited cell proliferation, migration, invasion and promoted cell apoptosis in vitro. Bioinformatics analysis based on the miRcode and TargetScan databases showed that lncRNA ZFPM2-AS1 regulated GDF10 expression by competitively binding to miR-139. miR-139 and downregulated GDF10 reversed cell phenotypes caused by lncRNA ZFPM2-AS1 by rescue analysis.

Conclusions

ZFPM2-AS1, an upregulated lncRNA in HCC, was associated with malignant tumor phenotypes and worse patient survival. ZFPM2-AS1 regulated the progression of HCC by acting as a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) to competitively bind to miR-139 and regulate GDF10 expression. Our study provides new insight into the posttranscriptional regulation mechanism of lncRNA ZFPM2-AS1 and suggests that ZFPM2-AS1/miR-139/GDF10 may act as a potential therapeutic target and prognostic biomarker for HCC.

Dynamic Changes in the Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio Predict the Prognosis of Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma Undergoing Transarterial Chemoembolization

Purpose

To examine the effect of dynamic changes in neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) on tumor response and overall survival (OS) in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) undergoing transarterial chemoembolization (TACE).

Patients and Methods

Data from 181 patients with HCC were retrospectively collected. White blood cell, neutrophil and lymphocyte counts, and the NLR were obtained 1–3 days before as well as 3–6 weeks and 3 months after TACE. Patients were divided into two groups at each time point according to the mean value of NLR, and also divided into continuous decrease, fluctuating increase-decrease (I-D), fluctuating decrease-increase (D-I), and continuous increase groups according to the dynamic changes in the NLR. The dynamic changes in blood counts and NLR were analyzed using repeated-measures ANOVA. The odds ratios (ORs) for tumor response in different NLR groups were examined using a multivariate logistic regression model. Finally, the prognostic value of the dynamic changes in the NLR was examined using Cox regression models.

Results

Continuous decline of white blood cell counts, neutrophil counts and lymphocyte counts were observed at 3–6 weeks and 3 months after TACE treatment. The NLR increased slightly and then decreased substantially in responders, while it increased slightly and then significantly in non-responders, with a significant interaction effect of Time × Tumor response (P = 0.005). NLR grouping before TACE, 3–6 weeks and 3 months after TACE was not associated with tumor response, and only 3 months after TACE did, it shows a significant difference in univariate survival analyses (NLR > 2.5 vs NLR ≤ 2.5, hazard ratio [HR] = 2.442, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.545, 3.860). The changes in the NLR were significantly correlated with tumor response and OS. Non-responders for TACE were more common in the continuous NLR increase group (OR = 6.230, 95% CI: 1.848–21.001) and in the fluctuating D-I group (OR = 5.702, 95% CI: 1.480–21.957). Multivariate analyses revealed that these two patient groups also showed poorer OS (HR = 2.351, 95% CI: 1.120–4.605 and HR = 2.320, 95% CI: 1.187–4.533, respectively).

Conclusion

Dynamic changes in the NLR may be better predictors of tumor response and OS than static NLR values, but more data are needed.

Identification of a novel germline frameshift mutation p.D300fs of PMS1 in a patient with hepatocellular carcinoma: A case report and literature review

RATIONALE

PMS1 is one of the mismatch repair (MMR) genes with potential crucial roles in carcinogenesis. Very few reports have been identified on germline PMS1 mutations with definite disease phenotype. Here we report a case of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with a novel potential pathogenic germline PMS1 mutation.

PATIENT CONCERNS

A 46-year-old Chinese male with Hepatitis B infection history presented a single cancerous nodule (10×12×10 mm) at the left lobe of liver. The nodule was considered malignant by type-B ultrasonic and computed tomography (CT) examinations.

DIAGNOSIS AND INTERVENTION

Liver lobectomy was performed to remove the liver cancerous nodule and postoperative TACE was performed for recurrence prevention. Pathological examination on resected tumor tissue confirmed the diagnosis of HCC. Whole-exome sequencing (WES) identified the c.900delT (p.D300fs) heterozygous germline mutation of PMS1, along with 253 nonsynonymous single nucleotide variations (SNVs), 14 Insertion or deletion mutations (INDELs) and 21 genes with copy number variations (CNVs). Three-dimensional prediction of protein tertiary structure suggested that the conformation of the enzyme active site and the ligand binding site might be changed due to the protein truncation.

OUTCOMES

The patient was still alive in good condition with no sign of recurrence in 12 months follow-up period.

LESSONS

The affected pathways in this case were unique from previously reported HCC patients with no PMS1 germline mutations. The novel PMS1 germline mutation may increase cancer risk. The roles of PMS1 germline mutations in carcinogenesis need further investigation.

CELSR3 mRNA expression is increased in hepatocellular carcinoma and indicates poor prognosis

Objective

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a disease that is associated with high mortality; currently, there is no curative and reliable treatment. Cadherin EGF LAG seven-pass G-type receptor 3 (CELSR3) is the key signaling molecule in the wingless and INT-1/planar cell polarity (WNT/PCP) pathway. This study aimed to elucidate the prognostic significance of CELSR3 in HCC patients.

Methods

The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database, the Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia (CCLE) database and the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database were used to analyze the expression of CELSR3 mRNA in HCC samples and cells. The relationship between CELSR3 mRNA and clinical features was assessed by the chi-square test. the diagnostic and predictive value of CELSR3 mRNA expression were analyzed using the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. Kaplan–Meier curve and Cox regression analyses were performed to assess the prognostic value of CELSR3 mRNA in HCC patients. Finally, all three cohorts database was used for gene set enrichment analysis(GSEA) and the identification of CELSR3-related signal transduction pathways.

Results

The expression of CELSR3 mRNA was upregulated in HCC, and its expression was correlated with age (P = 0.025), tumor status (P = 0.022), clinical stage (P = 0.003), T classification (P = 0.010), vital status (P = 0.001), and relapse (P = 0.005). The ROC curve assessment indicated that CELSR3 mRNA expression has high diagnostic value in HCC and in the subgroup analysis of stage. In addition, the Kaplan-Meier curve and Cox analyses suggested that patients with high CELSR3 mRNA expression have a poor prognosis, indicating that CELSR3 mRNA is an independent prognostic factor for the overall survival of HCC patients. GSEA showed that GO somatic diversification of immune receptors, GO endonuclease activity, GO DNA repair complex and GO somatic cell DNA recombination, were differentially enriched in the meta-GEO cohort, the HCC cell line cohort and the TCGA cohort of the high CELSR3 mRNA expression phenotype.

Conclusion

Our results indicate that CELSR3 mRNA is involved in the progression of cancer and can be used as a biomarker for the prognosis of HCC patients.

Prognostic value of carbonic anhydrase XII (CA XII) overexpression in hepatocellular carcinoma

OBJECTIVE

Carbonic anhydrase XII (CA XII) is a key mediator of several signaling pathways that are involved in cancer development. This study was designed to investigate the clinical significance and prognostic value of postoperative CA XII expression in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

METHODS

Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was performed on HCC tissue (n = 90), and the relationships between CA XII expression in the HCC tissue, the clinicopathologic features, and survival were further evaluated. The mRNA expression of CA XII and clinicopathologic characteristics of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma were extracted from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database.

RESULTS

CA XII was overexpressed in hepatocellular carcinoma tissues compared to normal liver tissues from the TCGA database. Moreover, CA XII mRNA expression was significantly associated with several clinicopathologic factors of hepatocellular carcinoma including sex (P = 0.011) and pathologic grade (P = 0.012). For HCC tissue samples in a tissue microarray (TMA), high CA XII protein expression was closely related to age (P = 0.013), tumor size (P = 0.014), and pathological grade (P = 0.015). A Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that elevated CA XII expression was associated with short disease-free survival (DFS) (P = 0.002) and overall survival (OS) (P = 0.006). In addition, a multivariate analysis showed that high CA XII expression was an independent prognostic indicator for disease-free survival (P = 0.018), but not overall survival, in HCC patients.

CONCLUSION

This study showed that high CA XII expression was associated with poor prognosis in HCC patients.

Role of VDR, GC, and CYP2R1 Polymorphisms in the Development of Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Hepatitis C Virus-Infected Patients

Aims: This study was designed to determine if vitamin D receptor (VDR), carrier globulin/binding protein (GC), and cytochrome P-450 family 2, subfamily R, polypeptide 1 (CYP2R1) gene polymorphisms are risk factors in the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in hepatitis C virus (HCV)-infected patients from Northeast India. Materials and Methods: A total of 351 HCV-infected patients were enrolled of which 167 were diagnosed with chronic hepatitis C (CHC), 124 with liver cirrhosis (LC), and 60 with HCC together with 102 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. VDR (BsmI, ApaI, and TaqI), GC (rs4588, rs7051), and CYP2R1 (rs10741657) gene polymorphisms were genotyped for all subjects. Statistical data were analyzed using SPSS ver. 22.0. Results: The frequency of the ApaI CC genotype, ApaI C allele, and bAt haplotype of the VDR gene was significantly higher in HCC and LC patients than controls. After adjusting for other covariates (age, gender, platelet count, AST, ALT, serum albumin, and viral load) logistic regression analysis showed that the ApaI CC genotype and bAt haplotype were independent predictors of HCC development. No significant associations was found for the GC and CYP2R1 polymorphisms examined with the occurrence of HCC. Conclusions: The presence of the VDR ApaI CC genotype and bAt haplotype appear to be important indicators in the development of HCC among HCV-infected patients. Larger studies are needed to further clarify and establish this potential causal relationship.

Down-regulation of argininosuccinate lyase induces hepatoma cell apoptosis through activating Bax signaling pathway

Argininosuccinate lyase (ASL) plays an important role in the hepatic urea cycle, and can catalyze the reversible reaction of argininosuccinate to arginine and fumarate. However, the function of ASL in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is not fully understood. In this study, we found that ASL expression was frequently upregulated in HCC tissues and HCC cell lines. Knock down of ASL inhibited cell proliferation and induced apoptosis in HCC cells. Mechanistic studies revealed the BCL2-associated X protein (Bax) signaling pathway which determines cancer cell apoptosis was regulated by ASL. Moreover, the depletion of Bax restored the inhibition of cell growth and reduced apoptosis initiated by ASL silencing. Together, the study demonstrated that ASL regulated HCC cell growth and apoptosis by modulating Bax signaling. Thus, the therapeutic targeting of ASL may offer options for HCC treatment.

Sperm-Associated Antigen 5 Expression Is Increased in Hepatocellular Carcinoma and Indicates Poor Prognosis

Background

Sperm-associated antigen 5 (SPAG5), a gene that encodes a mitotic spindle-associated protein, is closely related to tumor development and is involved in cell migration and proliferation. The objective of this research was to explore the clinical significance of SPAG5 expression in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and the relationship between SPAG5 expression and HCC prognosis.

Material/Methods

Twenty pairs of fresh-frozen HCC samples and samples from 95 HCC patients in a tissue microarray were subjected to quantitative real-time reverse-transcription (qRT)-PCR and immunohistochemistry (IHC), respectively, to investigate the relationship between the expression of SPAG5 and the clinicopathological features of HCC patients.

Results

PCR data showed that the messenger RNA (mRNA) expression level of SPAG5 in HCC tissue specimens was higher than that in adjacent non-tumor tissue specimens (p<0.05). IHC analyses demonstrated that SPAG5 expression was significantly correlated with tumor grade (p=0.003), tumor number (p=0.009), vascular invasion (p=0.001), and TNM stage (p=0.001). Survival analysis and Kaplan-Meier curves showed that SPAG5 expression is an independent prognostic indicator for disease-free survival (p=0.017) and overall survival (p=0.016) in HCC patients.

Conclusions

Our results indicate that SPAG5 expression may be considered as an oncogenic biomarker and a novel predictor for HCC prognosis.