scholarly journals Inhibition of RFX6 Suppresses the Invasive Ability of Tumor Cells Through the Notch Pathway and Affects Tumor Immunity in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mu Song ◽  
Mulati Kuerban ◽  
Lu Zhao ◽  
Xiaolin Peng ◽  
Youqin Xu
Keyword(s):  
Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽  
Liver Cancer ◽  
Cancer Cells ◽  
Immune Cell ◽  
Biological Effects ◽  
Biological Significance ◽  
Notch Pathway ◽  
Luciferase Assay ◽  
Migration And Invasion ◽  
Liver Hepatocellular Carcinoma

BackgroundThe DNA-binding protein RFX6 was overexpressed in hepatocellular carcinoma, and its expression level was correlated with the prognosis and immune cell infiltration in liver hepatocellular carcinoma. However, the mechanism of the abnormal expression and the biological effects of RFX6 in liver cancer remains unknown.MethodsTo understand the specific expression mechanism of RFX6 in liver cancer, we performed bioinformatic prediction, CHIP-qPCR assay, co-IP, and dual-luciferase assay to assess the regulating mechanism of RFX6. In the meantime, a series of biological experiments in vivo and in vitro were conducted to analyze the biological significance of RFX6 in hepatocellular carcinoma.ResultsWe demonstrated that knockdown of RFX6 in liver cancer cells significantly suppressed the proliferation, migration, and invasion of cancer cells. Moreover, inhibition of RFX6 could affect the immune response of T cells. Among a number of interacting proteins, we revealed that RFX6 directly binds to DTX2, a regulator of the Notch signaling pathway by targeting NOTCH1, and helps in its transcription stability. Furthermore, we discovered that miRNA-542-3p, the expression of which was decreased in hepatocellular carcinoma, was directly involved in the negative regulation of the expression of RFX6.ConclusionIn summary, we discovered that the miRNA-542-3p–RFX6–DTX2–NOTCH1 regulatory pathway played significant roles in the tumor progression of liver hepatocellular carcinoma.

scholarly journals Downexpression of HSD17B6 correlates with clinical prognosis and tumor immune infiltrates in hepatocellular carcinoma

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lei Lv ◽  
Yujia Zhao ◽  
Qinqin Wei ◽  
Ye Zhao ◽  
Qiyi Yi
Keyword(s):  
Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽  
Liver Cancer ◽  
Immune Responses ◽  
Cancer Cells ◽  
Negative Regulator ◽  
Functional Enrichment ◽  
Migration And Invasion ◽  
Relative Reduction ◽  
Clinical Prognosis ◽  
Liver Cancer Cells

Abstract Background Hydroxysteroid 17-Beta Dehydrogenase 6 (HSD17B6), a key protein involved in synthetizing dihydrotestosterone, is abundant in the liver. Previous studies have suggested a role for dihydrotestosterone in modulating progress of various malignancies, and HSD17B6 dysfunction was associated with lung cancer and prostate cancer. However, little is known about the detailed role of HSD17B6 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods Clinical implication and survival data related to HSD17B6 expression in patients with HCC were obtained through TCGA, ICGC, ONCOMINE, GEO and HPA databases. Survival analysis plots were drawn with Kaplan–Meier Plotter. The ChIP-seq data were obtained from Cistrome DB. Protein–Protein Interaction and gene functional enrichment analyses were performed in STRING database. The correlations between HSD17B6 and tumor immune infiltrates was investigated via TIMER and xCell. The proliferation, migration and invasion of liver cancer cells transfected with HSD17B6 were evaluated by the CCK8 assay, wound healing test and transwell assay respectively. Expression of HSD17B6, TGFB1 and PD-L1 were assessed by quantitative RT-PCR. Results HSD17B6 expression was lower in HCC compared to normal liver and correlated with tumor stage and grade. Lower expression of HSD17B6 was associated with worse OS, PFS, RFS and DSS in HCC patients. HNF4A bound to enhancer and promoter regions of HSD17B6 gene, activating its transcription, and DNA methylation of HSD17B6 promoter negatively controlled the expression. HSD17B6 and its interaction partners were involved in androgen metabolism and biosynthesis in liver. HSD17B6 inhibited tumor cell proliferation, migration and invasion in liver cancer cells and low expression of HSD17B6 correlated with high immune cells infiltration, relative reduction of immune responses and multiple immune checkpoint genes expression in HCC, probably by regulating the expression of TGFB1. Conclusions This study indicate that HSD17B6 could be a new biomarker for the prognosis of HCC and an important negative regulator of immune responses in HCC.

scholarly journals miR-18a-5p Targets FBP1 to Promote Proliferation, Migration, and Invasion of Liver Cancer Cells and Inhibit Cell Apoptosis

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Shan Gao ◽  
Dongjie Zhu ◽  
Jian Zhu ◽  
Lianqiang Shen ◽  
Ming Zhu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Liver Cancer ◽  
Cancer Cells ◽  
Cell Apoptosis ◽  
Malignant Tumors ◽  
Luciferase Assay ◽  
Migration And Invasion ◽  
Cancer Tissue ◽  
Liver Cancer Cells ◽  
Treatment Plans ◽  
New Treatment

Liver cancer is one of the most aggressive malignant tumors. It is significant to understand the molecular mechanism of liver cancer cells to develop new treatment plans. Studies have identified that FBP1 serves as a cancer inhibitor gene. To research the effect mechanism of FBP1 in liver cancer cells, bioinformatics analysis was performed to study its expression in liver cancer tissue. Survival analysis was also performed. Moreover, starBase database was applied to predict upstream regulatory genes of FBP1. Dual-luciferase assay was performed to testify their targeted relationship. The mRNA and protein expression levels of FBP1 in liver cancer cells were detected by qRT-PCR and western blot, respectively. Cell viability was analyzed by CCK-8 assay. The migratory and invasive abilities of cells were analyzed by Transwell assay. The apoptosis of liver cancer cells was detected by flow cytometry. The results showed that the expression of FBP1 was downregulated in liver cancer tissue and cells. FBP1 low expression was correlated with the poor prognosis of patients. miR-18a-5p could inhibit FBP1 expression. Overexpression of FBP1 could inhibit the progression of liver cancer cells and promote cell apoptosis. Overexpressing miR-18a-5p could promote the progression of liver cancer cells and inhibit cell apoptosis. However, overexpressing FBP1 simultaneously could reverse the effect. miR-18a-5p and FBP1 are expected to be candidates for liver cancer treatment.

scholarly journals Overexpressed Tumor Suppressor Exosomal miR-15a-5p in Cancer Cells Inhibits PD1 Expression in CD8+T Cells and Suppresses the Hepatocellular Carcinoma Progression

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hong-Yu Zhang ◽  
Hong-Xia Liang ◽  
Shu-Huan Wu ◽  
He-Qing Jiang ◽  
Qin Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽  
T Cells ◽  
Cancer Cells ◽  
Cd8 T Cells ◽  
Hepg2 Cells ◽  
Luciferase Assay ◽  
Migration And Invasion ◽  
Primary Liver Tumor ◽  
High Fatality Rate

BackgroundHepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common primary liver tumor, and the main reason is the unclear pathogenesis of HCC, which leads to a high fatality rate of HCC. Therefore, it is of great clinical significance to explore the molecular mechanism of HCC and find a targeted therapeutic approach from the molecular level.Materials and MethodsMicroRNA-15a-5p (miR-15a-5p) expression level was measured by bioinformatics and qRT-PCR. Luciferase assay and RIP assays were used to verify the relationship between programmed cell death protein 1 (PD1) PD 1 with miR-15a-5p. Exosomes were identified using TEM, Zetasizer Nano ZS, and western blot. Edu, Transwell, and scratch assay were performed to explore the role of miR-15a-5p or exo-miR-15a-5p on HepG2 cells progression.ResultsMicroRNA-15a-5p (miR-15a-5p) was decreased in HCC tissues and cell lines, which indicated a poor prognosis. Overexpression of miR-15a-5p inhibited viability, proliferation, migration and invasion of HepG2 cells. Then, we isolated exosomes from cancer cells, and found that miR-15a-5p was packaged into exosomes from cancer cells. Furthermore, exo-miR-15a-5p was secreted into CD8+ T cells, then directly inhibited PD1 expression via targeted binding. Then, we co-cultured CD8+ T cells transfected with PD1 with HepG2 transfected with miR-15a-5p, PD1 remitted the inhibitory role of miR-15a-5p on HCC progression.ConclusionTogether, present study revealed exo-miR-15a-5p from cancer cells inhibited PD1 expression in CD8+ T cells, which suppressed the development of HCC.

TUG1 as ceRNA combined with miR-29a to promotes the expression of IFITM3 in hepatocellular carcinoma

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Weiwei Liu ◽  
Qian Feng ◽  
Wenjun Liao ◽  
Jun Gao ◽  
Jiyuan Ai ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽  
Liver Cancer ◽  
Cancer Cells ◽  
Migration And Invasion ◽  
Regulatory Relationship ◽  
Liver Cancer Cells ◽  
Tumor Tissues ◽  
Important Relationship ◽  
Hcc Cells

Abstract Background: Numerous studies have shown that TUG1 has an important relationship with tumorigenesis. TUG1 is highly expressed in most tumors and can promote tumor development. However, the role of TUG1 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains to be studied. miR-29a plays a tumor suppressor role in a variety of tumors, and there is a relationship between TUG1 and miR-29a, but the specific relationship and mechanism of action are still unclear. miR-29a can inhibit the expression of IFITM3. However, the regulatory relationship between these three components requires elucidation. This study aimed to investigate the regulatory relationship between TUG1, miR-29a, and IFITM3 in human hepatocarcinogenesis.Methods: The expression levels of TUG1 and miR-29a in tumor tissues and adjacent non-tumor tissues of 41 HCC patients were detected by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. The migration and invasion of liver cancer cells were studied by a wound healing assay and the Transwell method. The apoptosis rate of hepatocarcinoma cells was detected by flow cytometry, and the proliferation rate of hepatoma cells was detected by the EdU method. Immunofluorescence was selected to detect the expression of TUG1 and IFITM3 in HCC-LM3 and HL-7702. The relationship between TUG1 and miR-29a was detected using a double luciferase report and FISH. Tumors were established in vivo by subcutaneous injection of hepatocellular carcinoma cells into nude mice and injection of these cells into the tail vein. Western blotting was used to quantify the biomarkers. Results: TUG1 expression increased significantly in both tumor tissues and HCC cells. The expression of miR-29a in liver cancer tissues was also significantly lower than that in normal human liver tissues. The expression of TUG1 in HCC tissue samples was negatively correlated with that of miR-29a. Moreover, the expression of TUG1 was positively correlated with the expression of IFITM3. TUG1 can regulate the migration, invasion, apoptosis, and proliferation of HCC lines in vitro and regulate the development of tumors in vivo. Knocking down TUG1 will increase miR-29a expression, and thus, weaken the invasion, migration, and proliferation of HCC cells and enhance their apoptosis. miR-29a can affect the occurrence and progression of liver cancer through IFITM3. It was found that TUG1 regulates IFITM3 in HCC cells via miR-29a, and its expression affects cell invasion, migration, proliferation, and apoptosis.Conclusion: As a CeRNA, TUG1 competitively binds mir-29a to regulate IFITM3 and promote the development of liver cancer. Downregulation of TUG1 can significantly inhibit the migration, invasion, and proliferation of liver cancer cells, and TUG1 is expected to serve as a key gene to improve the prognosis of patients.

scholarly journals Circular RNA hsa_circ_101555 promotes hepatocellular carcinoma cell proliferation and migration by sponging miR-145-5p and regulating CDCA3 expression

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaoguang Gu ◽  
Jianan Zhang ◽  
Yajuan Ran ◽  
Hena Pan ◽  
JinHong Jia ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽  
Cell Proliferation ◽  
Biological Effects ◽  
Luciferase Reporter ◽  
Migration And Invasion ◽  
Casein Kinase 1 ◽  
Mouse Xenograft Model ◽  
Hcc Cells

AbstractCircular RNAs have been reported to play significant roles in regulating pathophysiological processes while also guiding clinical diagnosis and treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, only a few circRNAs have been identified thus far. Herein, we investigated the role of a specific closed-loop structure of hsa_circ_101555 that was generated by back-splicing of the host gene casein kinase 1 gamma 1 (CSNK1G1) in the development and proliferation of HCC. We investigated the expression of Hsa_circ_101555 in HCC and normal tissues using bioinformatics. The expression level of hsa_circ_101555 was further detected by fluorescence in situ hybridization and qRT-PCR in ten HCC patients. Transwell, migration, WST-1 assays, and colony formation assays were used to evaluate the role of hsa_circ_101555 in HCC development and proliferation. The regulatory mechanisms of hsa_circ_101555 in miR-145-5p and CDCA3 were determined by dual luciferase reporter assay. A mouse xenograft model was also used to determine the effect of hsa_circ_101555 on HCC growth in vivo. hsa_circ_101555 showed greater stability than the linear RNA; while in vitro and in vivo results demonstrated that hsa_circ_101555 silencing significantly suppressed cell proliferation, migration, and invasion of HCC cells. Rescue experiments further demonstrated that suppression of miR-145-5p significantly attenuated the biological effects of hsa_circ_101555 knockdown in HCC cells. We also identified a putative oncogene CDCA3 as a potential miR-145-5p target. Thus, our results demonstrated that hsa_circ_101555 might function as a competing endogenous RNA of miR-145-5p to upregulate CDCA3 expression in HCC. These findings suggest that hsa_circ_101555 may be a potential therapeutic target for patients with HCC.

scholarly journals Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase is a Prognostic Biomarker and Correlated with Immune Infiltrates in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yang Bu ◽  
Kejun Liu ◽  
Yiming Niu ◽  
Ji Hao ◽  
Lei Cui ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽  
Tumor Microenvironment ◽  
Liver Cancer ◽  
Immune Cell ◽  
Cox Regression ◽  
Functional Enrichment ◽  
Cell Infiltration ◽  
Immune Cell Infiltration ◽  
Potential Biomarker ◽  
Glucose 6 Phosphate Dehydrogenase

Abstract Background: Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) plays an important role in the metabolic and immunological aspects of tumors. In hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the alteration of tumor microenvironment influences recurrence and metastasis. We extracted G6PD-related data from public databases of HCC tissues and used a bioinformatics approach to explore the correlation between G6PD expression and clinicopathological features and prognosis of immune cell infiltration in HCC.Methods: We extract G6PD expression information from TCGA and GEO databases in liver cancer tissues and normal tissues, validated by immunohistochemistry, and the correlation between G6PD expression and clinical features is analyzed, and the clinical significance of G6PD in liver cancer is assessed by Kaplan-Meier, Cox regression and prognostic line graph models. Functional enrichment analysis is performed by protein-protein interaction (PPI) network, GO/KEGG, GSEA and G6PD-associated differentially expressed genes (DEGs). TIMER and ssGSEA packages are used to assess the correlation between expression and the level of immune cell infiltration.Results: Our results show that G6PD expression is significantly upregulated in hepatocellular carcinoma tissues (P < 0.001). G6PD expression is associated with histological grade, pathological stage, T-stage, vascular infiltration and AFP level (P < 0.05); HCC patients in the low G6PD expression group had longer overall survival and better prognosis compared with the high G6PD expression group (P < 0.05). The level of G6PD expression also affects the levels of macrophages, unactivated dendritic cells, B cells, and follicular helper T cells in the tumor microenvironment.Conclusion: High expression of G6PD is a potential biomarker for poor prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma, and G6PD may be a target for immunotherapy of HCC.

scholarly journals A Novel Immune and Inflammatory Related Gene Signature in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yunji Xu ◽  
Guo Huang ◽  
Wen bing Li
Keyword(s):  
Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽  
Tumor Microenvironment ◽  
Liver Cancer ◽  
Cell Line ◽  
Cell Function ◽  
Immune Cell ◽  
Gene Signature ◽  
Treg Cells ◽  
Clinical Staging ◽  
Response Analysis

Abstract Background: The prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is closely related to immunity and inflammation, but the value of using immune and inflammation-related genes as predicting the prognosis of HCC requires further research.Methods: The Hepatocellular Carcinomar mRNA data was downloaded in the TCGA and ICGC database. The R package "limma" was used to analyze the differential expression of genes (DEGs) irelated to immune and inflammatory .Univariate Cox analysis screen for immune and inflammation related genes with prognostic value, then construction and verification of the prognostic model in Hepatocellular Carcinomar. The correlation between risk score with tumor immune immersion and immune cell function was assessed through tumor microensure and immune response analysis. NCI-60 cell line to explore the relationship between prognostic gene expression and drug sensitivity.Results: We evaluated 8 immune and inflammatory-related genes to build a prognostic risk prediction model, riskscore is an independent risk factor affecting prognosis, closely related to histological grading and clinical staging. The immune of adCs, macrophages, Tfh cells, Treg cells and Th1 cells higher in the tumor microenvironment leads to poor prognosis of liver cancer. Using data from the NCI-60 cell line, DNASE1L3 high expression may increased resistance of liver cancer cells to bovine platinum, solafinil and bovine platinum. The expression of SLC7A11 can increase the sensitivity of liver cancer to arsenic trioxide (ATO). Simultaneously constructing models and tumor microenvironment and drug resistance may provide effective and safe strategies for HCC chemotherapy and immunotherapy.Conclusion:Our study screened eight immune and inflammation-related genes play an important role in HCC tumor immunity and can be used to predict the prognosis of HCC.

scholarly journals MiR-21-3p Promotes Hepatocellular Carcinoma Progression Through Regulating Smad7/Yap1

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yinghui Hong ◽  
Dan Wang ◽  
Mingliang Ye ◽  
Chun Wang ◽  
Jie Luo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽  
Vital Role ◽  
Tissue Growth ◽  
Luciferase Assay ◽  
Migration And Invasion ◽  
Poor Overall Survival ◽  
Rat Models ◽  
Downstream Effector ◽  
Gene Sets ◽  
Strong Relation

Abstract BackgroundHepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains the global burden due to its high prevalence and mortality. Emerging evidence confirms that microRNAs (miRNAs) play a vital role in cancer initiation and progression. MiRNAs are widely involved in the regulation of signaling pathways by targeting downstream genes. MiR-21-3p as a liver-enriched miRNA has not been fully investigated. Abnormal activation of TGF-β transduction pathway promoted by deletion of Smad7 matters since HCC occurrence. While the relation between miR-21-3p and Smad7 has not yet been confirmed. We aimed to explore the influence of miR-21-3p on HCC initiation and progression by targeting Smad7 and further facilitating the expression of Yap1. Methods MicroRNA (miRNA) microarray analysis was performed for miRNA screening. Dual-luciferase assay was adopted for target verifying. The expressions of miRNA and related genes were quantified by qRT-PCR, western blotting, and immunohistochemical staining. Flow cytometry and transwell assay were used to discover cell apoptosis, invasion and metastasis abilities. Rat models were established to explore the axis's role in hepatocarcinogenesis. Bioinformatics analysis was performed for analyzing clinical significance. Results ­ MiR-21-3p was significantly increased in HCC, indicating a poor overall survival (OS) rate. High miR-21-3p was associated with advanced stages (P=0.029), especially T stages (P=0.026). Low Smad7/high Yap1 was verified in HCCs and rat models. Smad7 was proved to be the direct target of miR-21-3p. MiR-21-3p's effect on tumor malignant phenotypes and promotion of Yap1 could be partly reversed through transfecting Smad7. Overexpressed Yap1 promoted the downstream effector connective tissue growth factor (CTGF). Co-survival analysis indicated that lower miR-21-3p/higher Smad7 (P=0.0494) and lower miR-21-3p/lower Yap1 group (P=0.0379) patients had better OS rates. GSVA analysis of miR-21-3p and Smad7 related gene sets displayed strong relation with TGF-β signaling pathway in HCC. Conclusions MiR-21-3p promotes HCC migration and invasion via directly inhibiting Smad7 and further improving the expression of Yap1.

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