Expression and clinical significance of RAB24 gene in hepatocellular carcinoma based on multi-source databases and clinical cohort validation
10.19405/j.cnki.issn1000–1492.2026.09.018
- VernacularTitle:基于多源数据库与临床队列验证探讨肝细胞癌中RAB24基因的表达及临床意义
- Author:
Yali GUO
1
;
Yangchen WANG
1
;
Jianhua YANG
2
;
Xiang GAO
1
;
Wenmei MA
3
;
Nan DING
2
;
Qiang HOU
1
;
Wu DAI
1
;
Limei WEN
2
;
Junping HU
1
Author Information
1. College of Pharmacy， Xinjiang Medical University， Urumqi 830017
2. Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Clinical Drug Research， Urumqi 830011
3. First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University， Urumqi 830011
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
hepatocellular carcinoma;
RAB24 gene;
tumor microenvironment;
TCGA database;
TIMER database;
GSVA
- From:
Acta Universitatis Medicinalis Anhui
2026;61(9):1647-1656
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
ObjectiveTo investigate the mRNA expression profile and clinical significance of the RAB24 gene in hepatocellular carcinoma （HCC） based on multi-source database including The Cancer Genome Atlas （TCGA） and clinical cohort validation. MethodsData from TCGA （n=424） were utilized to evaluate the prognostic value of RAB24 expression via Kaplan-Meier analysis and Cox regression models. An independent clinical cohort comprising 90 HCC and 30 paracancerous tissues was established to validate protein expression and histopathological features through immunohistochemistry （IHC） and routine histological staining. The TIMER database was employed to analyze the association between RAB24 and the tumor microenvironment （TME）. Furthermore， integrated with LinkedOmics， GSEA and GSVA algorithms were used to quantitatively characterize the core molecular pathways regulated by RAB24. ResultsThe mRNA expression level of RAB24 in HCC was significantly higher than that in non-tumor liver tissues （P<0.05）. Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed that the overall survival （OS） of patients in the RAB24 low-expression group was significantly longer compared to the high-expression group （HR=1.570， Log-rank P=0.01）. Cox proportional hazards regression analysis demonstrated that RAB24 expression （HR=1.480， P=0.028）， T stage （HR=2.949， P<0.001）， M stage （HR=4.077， P=0.017）， and tumor residual status （HR=2.317， P<0.001） were independent prognostic factors for HCC. RAB24 expression was highly correlated with alpha-fetoprotein （AFP） levels and immune infiltration levels （P<0.01）， and showed a significant， low-level positive correlation with the TP53 gene （Rho=0.31， P<0.01）. Quantitative analysis of the RAB24 protein in clinical samples validated that RAB24 expression in HCC tissues was significantly elevated compared to non-tumor liver tissues （P<0.05）. TIMER analysis confirmed that RAB24 expression was highly associated with the infiltration of multiple immune cells （such as B cells and NK cells）， as well as stromal and tumor purity scores in tumor tissues （P<0.01）. GSEA/GSVA enrichment revealed that the P53， MYC， and mTORC1 signaling pathways were activated in the RAB24 high-expression group； correlation analysis confirmed that the RAB24 expression level exhibited a significant， low-level positive correlation with the ribosome pathway activity score （r=0.23， P<0.01）. ConclusionsThe RAB24 gene， as a poor prognostic factor for HCC patients， is a potential biomarker for HCC diagnosis， treatment and prognosis. The study is expected to lay a theoretical foundation for the precise diagnosis and treatment of clinical HCC.
