1.Targeting GYS1: From Metabolic Regulatory Mechanisms to Precision Therapeutic Strategies
Jia-Nan ZHAO ; Yu-Xuan LI ; Jie ZHU ; Hong LI ; Xiao-Feng JIN
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2026;53(7):1807-1825
Glycogen synthase 1 (GYS1) is the rate-limiting enzyme responsible for glycogen synthesis in skeletal muscle, heart, brain, and other extrahepatic tissues, playing a central role in systemic energy homeostasis. The human GYS1 gene maps to chromosome 19q13.33, comprises 16 exons, and encodes a 737-amino-acid polypeptide that is highly conserved across mammals. GYS1 activity is subject to multilayered and precisely coordinated regulation. At the transcriptional level, the GYS1 promoter contains a hypoxia response element (HRE) that mediates HIF-1α-dependent induction under low-oxygen conditions, as well as a muscle-specific enhancer harboring MEF2 and MyoD binding sites that confers tissue-restricted expression. At the post-translational level, a hierarchical phosphorylation cascade serves as the primary activity switch: glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK3β) sequentially phosphorylates four C-terminal serine residues following casein kinase II priming, while protein kinase A (PKA) and AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) provide parallel inhibitory inputs at both N- and C-terminal sites. Dephosphorylation and reactivation are mediated by protein phosphatase 1 (PP1) through tissue-specific glycogen-targeting regulatory subunits such as PPP1R3A and PPP1R3B, which anchor PP1 to glycogen particles and direct its activity toward GYS1. The allosteric activator glucose-6-phosphate (G6P) binds at the dimer interface, simultaneously enhancing catalytic efficiency and promoting dephosphorylation susceptibility, thereby establishing a feed-forward activation loop that couples substrate availability to glycogen synthesis. Beyond phosphorylation, GYS1 is regulated by ubiquitination (mediated by the E3 ligase PJA1), acetylation, O-linked β-N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAc) modification, and SUMOylation, which collectively modulate protein stability, subcellular localization, and protein-protein interactions. Epigenetic mechanisms, including CpG island methylation and histone acetylation dynamics, govern chromatin accessibility at the GYS1 locus, while muscle-specific microRNAs such as miR-1 and miR-206 fine-tune GYS1 expression at the post-transcriptional level. Dysregulation of GYS1 has been identified as a central pathogenic driver in a spectrum of human diseases. In inherited glycogen storage disorders—including Lafora disease, adult polyglucosan body disease (APBD), and Pompe disease—loss of upstream regulatory control leads to GYS1 hyperactivation and the accumulation of structurally abnormal or excessive glycogen, resulting in progressive neurodegeneration, myopathy, and multiorgan dysfunction. In type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), impaired insulin signaling through the PI3K-AKT-GSK3β axis maintains GYS1 in a hyperphosphorylated inactive state in skeletal muscle, compromising postprandial glucose disposal and exacerbating hyperglycemia. In oncology, GYS1 exhibits context-dependent roles across multiple cancer types. In hepatocellular carcinoma, FMO2+ cancer-associated fibroblasts stabilize GYS1 by competitively inhibiting PJA1-mediated ubiquitination, and stabilized GYS1 subsequently activates NF‑κB/CCL19 signaling to promote tertiary lymphoid structure formation and enhance anti-PD-1 immunotherapy responsiveness. In clear cell renal cell carcinoma, GYS1 promotes tumor progression through non-canonical NF‑κB pathway activation via the scaffold protein RPS27A. In triple-negative breast cancer, GYS1 has been identified as a trigger of disulfidptosis and an activator of NF-κB signaling through non-enzymatic facilitation of IκBα degradation. In colorectal cancer, mitochondrial fission deficiency drives AMPK-dependent GYS1 upregulation and glycogen accumulation as a compensatory survival mechanism, while in cervical cancer, GYS1-maintained glycogen reserves fuel the pentose phosphate pathway to generate NADPH for ROS clearance, thereby conferring cisplatin resistance in cancer stem cells. Therapeutic strategies targeting GYS1 have gained substantial momentum across these disease contexts. For glycogen storage disorders, antisense oligonucleotides, small interfering RNAs (e.g., ABX1100), and small-molecule inhibitors (e.g., MZ-101) have demonstrated preclinical and early clinical efficacy in reducing pathological glycogen accumulation. For T2DM, pharmacological activation of GYS1 through GSK3β inhibition or enhancement of PP1-mediated dephosphorylation is being explored to restore insulin-stimulated glycogen synthesis. In cancer, GYS1-directed interventions—including targeted silencing to sensitize tumors to chemotherapy and immune microenvironment modulation to enhance immunotherapy—represent emerging precision oncology approaches. This review provides a comprehensive and integrated account of GYS1 gene structure, tissue-specific distribution, regulatory networks, and pathogenic roles in metabolic disorders and malignancies, with the aim of establishing a theoretical framework for the development of GYS1-targeted precision therapies.
2.The Expression Characteristics,Clinical Relevance and Tumor Inhibition of KCNN3 in Gastric Adenocarcinoma
Zi-Qing ZHAN ; Jia-Bei JIN ; Yu-Xuan LI ; Jia-Xin SHI ; Meng YE ; Xiao-Feng JIN
Chinese Journal of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology 2025;41(4):560-575,中插1-中插4
Potassium-calcium activates channel subfamily N member 3(KCNN3/SK3/KCa2.3)is in-volved in regulating cellular calcium signaling,muscle contraction and neurotransmitter release.Dysregu-lation of the KCNN3 channel is associated with the development of various tumors.We use bioinformatics analysis to identify whether KCNN3 regulates the occurrence and development of stomach adenocarcinoma(STAD)as a prognostic target.By analyzing the Human Protein Atlas(HPA)database and The Cancer Genome Atlas(TCGA)database,we found that the protein and mRNA levels of KCNN3 were dramatic-ally reduced in STAD,and TCGA database showed that KCNN3 significantly correlated with the prognosis and clinical features of STAD.In addition,we found that high expression of KCNN3 in STAD reduced the IC50 of several drugs in STAD cells,suggesting that high expression of KCNN3 correlated with the drug sensitivity of STAD.To investigate the underlying biological mechanism,we identified a potential KCNN3 interaction factor,tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily member 7(CD27/TNFRSF7),which is expressed at low levels in STAD.RT-qPCR and Western blotting confirmed that KCNN3 and CD27 positively correlated with each other at protein and mRNA levels,and co-immunoprecipitation and immunofluorescence experiments confirmed that the two proteins interact and colocalize in the cytoplasm.Moreover,we confirmed the inhibitory effect of KCNN3 on the proliferation,migration and invasion of hu-man STAD cells in vitro and in vivo through subcutaneous tumorigenesis and cellular experiments.Fur-thermore,GO/KEGG enrichment analysis showed that KCNN3 was enriched in signaling pathways regula-ting the immune response and calcium or metal ion transport.Lastly,we verified through cell co-culture,RT-qPCR and CCK8 assays that high expression of KCNN3 can promote the increase of T cell activating factor and the killing effect of T cells on STAD cells.Therefore,our results suggest that KCNN3 is a po-tential inhibitory factor affecting the occurrence and progression of STAD.
3.Key technologies and challenges in online adaptive radiotherapy for lung cancer.
Baiqiang DONG ; Shuohan ZHENG ; Kelly CHEN ; Xuan ZHU ; Sijuan HUANG ; Xiaobo JIANG ; Wenchao DIAO ; Hua LI ; Lecheng JIA ; Feng CHI ; Xiaoyan HUANG ; Qiwen LI ; Ming CHEN
Chinese Medical Journal 2025;138(13):1559-1567
Definitive treatment of lung cancer with radiotherapy is challenging, as respiratory motion and anatomical changes can increase the risk of severe off-target effects during radiotherapy. Online adaptive radiotherapy (ART) is an evolving approach that enables timely modification of a treatment plan during the interfraction of radiotherapy, in response to physiologic or anatomic variations, aiming to improve the dose distribution for precise targeting and delivery in lung cancer patients. The effectiveness of online ART depends on the seamless integration of multiple components: sufficient quality of linear accelerator-integrated imaging guidance, deformable image registration, automatic recontouring, and efficient quality assurance and workflow. This review summarizes the present status of online ART for lung cancer, including key technologies, as well as the challenges and areas of active research in this field.
Humans
;
Lung Neoplasms/radiotherapy*
;
Radiotherapy Planning, Computer-Assisted/methods*
4.Banxia Xiexin Decoction suppresses malignant phenotypes of colon cancer cells via PARG/PARP1/NF-κB signaling pathway.
Yu-Qing HUANG ; Jia-Mei WANG ; Heng-Zhou LAI ; Chong XIAO ; Feng-Ming YOU ; Qi-Xuan KUANG ; Yi-Fang JIANG
China Journal of Chinese Materia Medica 2025;50(2):496-506
This study aims to delve into the influences and underlying mechanisms of Banxia Xiexin Decoction(BXD) on the proliferation, apoptosis, invasion, and migration of colon cancer cells. Firstly, the components of BXD in blood were identified by UPLC-MS/MS, and subsequently the content of these components were determined by HPLC. Then, different concentrations of BXD were used to treat both the normal intestinal epithelial cells(NCM460) and the colon cancer cells(HT29 and HCT116). The cell viability and apoptosis were examined by the cell counting kit-8(CCK-8) and flow cytometry, respectively. Western blot was employed to determine the expression of the apoptosis regulators B-cell lymphoma-2(Bcl-2) and Bcl-2-associated X(Bax). The cell wound healing assay and Transwell assay were employed to measure the cell migration and invasion, respectively. Additionally, Western blot was employed to determine the expression levels of epithelial-mesenchymal transition(EMT)-associated proteins, including epithelial cadherin(E-cadherin), neural cadherin(N-cadherin), and vimentin. The protein and mRNA levels of the factors in the poly(ADP-ribose) glycohydrolase(PARG)/poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase 1(PARP1)/nuclear factor kappa-B p65(NF-κB p65) signaling pathway were determined by Western blot and RT-qPCR, respectively. The results demonstrated that following BXD intervention, the proliferation of HT29 and HCT116 cells was significantly reduced. Furthermore, BXD promoted the apoptosis, enhanced the expression of Bcl-2, and suppressed the expression of Bax in colon cancer cells. At the same time, BXD suppressed the cell migration and invasion and augmented the expression of E-cadherin while diminishing the expression of N-cadherin and vimentin. In addition, BXD down-regulated the protein and mRNA levels of PARG, PARP1, and NF-κB p65. In conclusion, BXD may inhibit the malignant phenotypes of colon cancer cells by mediating the PARG/PARP1/NF-κB signaling pathway.
Colonic Neoplasms/pathology*
;
Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology*
;
Phenotype
;
Signal Transduction/drug effects*
;
Cell Proliferation/drug effects*
;
Apoptosis
;
Cell Movement/drug effects*
;
Neoplasm Invasiveness
;
HCT116 Cells
;
Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2/biosynthesis*
;
Humans
;
Poly (ADP-Ribose) Polymerase-1
;
Glycoside Hydrolases
;
bcl-2-Associated X Protein
;
NF-kappa B p50 Subunit
5.Pathogenesis and treatment of "inflammation cancer transformation" of ulcerative colitis based on "Kenang" theory.
Jia-Kang XIE ; Xiao-Ning XU ; Feng-Ting AI ; Shao-Xi LI ; Yun AN ; Xuan GONG ; Yong CAO
China Journal of Chinese Materia Medica 2025;50(8):2298-2304
Ulcerative colitis(UC) is a recurrent, chronic, nonspecific inflammatory bowel disease. The longer the course of the disease, the higher the risk of cancerization. In recent years, the incidence and mortality rates of colon cancer in China have been increasing year by year, seriously threatening the life and health of patients. Therefore, studying the mechanism of "inflammation cancer transformation" in UC and conducting early intervention is crucial. The "Kenang" theory is an important component of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) theory of phlegm and blood stasis. It is based on the coexistence of phlegm and blood stasis in the body and deeply explores the pathogenic syndromes and characteristics of phlegm and blood stasis. Kenang is a pathological product formed when long-term Qi stagnation leads to the internal formation of phlegm and blood stasis, which is hidden deep within the body. It is characterized by being hidden, progressive, and difficult to treat. The etiology and pathogenesis of "inflammation cancer transformation" in UC are consistent with the connotation of the "Kenang" theory. The internal condition for the development of UC "inflammation cancer transformation" is the deficiency of healthy Qi, with Qi stagnation being the key pathological mechanism. Phlegm and blood stasis are the main pathogenic factors. Phlegm and blood stasis accumulate in the body over time and can produce cancer toxins. Due to the depletion of healthy Qi and a weakened constitution, the body is unable to limit the proliferation and invasion of cancer toxins, eventually leading to cancer transformation in UC. In clinical treatment, the focus should be on removing phlegm and blood stasis, with syndrome differentiation and treatment based on three basic principles: supporting healthy Qi to strengthen the body's foundation, resolving phlegm and blood stasis to break up the Kenang, and regulating Qi and blood to smooth the flow of energy and resolve stagnation. This approach helps to dismantle the Kenang, delay, block, or even reverse the cancerization process of UC, reduce the risk of "inflammation cancer transformation", improve the patient's quality of life, and provide new perspectives and strategies for early intervention in the development of colon cancer.
Humans
;
Colitis, Ulcerative/immunology*
;
Medicine, Chinese Traditional
;
Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use*
;
Cell Transformation, Neoplastic
6.A phase Ⅲ clinical study to evaluate the efficacy and safety profile of antaitasvir phosphate combined with yiqibuvir in the treatment of adults with chronic hepatitis C
Lai WEI ; Jia SHANG ; Xuan AN ; Guoqiang ZHANG ; Yujuan GUAN ; Hongxin PIAO ; Jinglan JIN ; Lang BAI ; Xingxiang YANG ; Daokun YANG ; Xinhua LUO ; Shufang YUAN ; Yingren ZHAO ; Yingjie MA ; Guangming LI ; Feng LIN ; Xiaoping WU ; Jiawei GENG ; Guizhou ZOU ; Jiabao CHANG ; Zuojiong GONG ; Xiaorong MAO ; Jing ZHU ; Wentao GUO ; Qingwei HE ; Lin LUO ; Yulei ZHUANG ; Hongming XIE ; Yingjun ZHANG
Chinese Journal of Hepatology 2025;33(6):560-569
Objective:To assess the efficacy and safety profile of antaitasvir phosphate combined with yiqibuvir in the treatment of chronic hepatitis C (CHC) of various genotypes, without cirrhosis or with compensated cirrhosis.Methods:394 cases with CHC from 22 centers were collected from October 2021 to April 2023. They were randomly assigned to receive either the experimental drugs (antaitasvir phosphate 100 mg+yiqibuvir 600 mg) or placebo treatment in a 3∶1 ratio. The patients were administered drugs once a day for 12 consecutive weeks, and then followed up for 24 weeks after treatment cessation. All subjects were unblinded at the four-week follow-up following drug discontinuation, with the experimental drug group continuing to complete subsequent post-discontinuation follow-up. The placebo group was switched to receive the experimental drugs for a repeated 12-week treatment period and followed up for another 24 weeks after discontinuation of the drug (placebo delayed treatment phase).The sustained virologic response rate (SVR12) was observed for subjects in the double-blind phase and the placebo delayed-treatment phase at 12 weeks after treatment cessation.Virological resistance analysis was performed on subjects who failed treatment. The primary efficacy endpoint was SVR12. The number and percentage of subjects who achieved "HCV RNA
7.Preliminary study on the biological role of EF-hand domain-containing protein 2 in hepatocellular carcinoma
Yanmei ZHANG ; Xiao LI ; Xueqiang JIA ; Juanzi LIU ; Wanqing LI ; Junfeng XUAN ; Shiyu FENG ; Zhaohui SUN ; Weiyun ZHANG
Chinese Journal of Preventive Medicine 2025;59(8):1224-1231
This study investigates the expression pattern and functional significance of EF-hand domain-containing protein 2 (EFHD2) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), with particular focus on its regulatory effects on tumor proliferation, migration, and invasion. Cellular experimental study was completed from June 2024 to January 2025 in the Basic Laboratory of the General Hospital of Southern Theater Command. TCGA database to determine EFHD2 expression and its clinicopathological correlations. GSCA database to assess methylation patterns and immune infiltration. Model of transient overexpression and knockdown of EFHD2 was constructed in hepatocellular carcinoma cells Hep3B, then RT-qPCR and Western blot were applied to verify the transfection efficiency. CCK-8 and colony formation assays for proliferation assessment, Transwell chambers for migration/invasion quantification. Protein-protein interaction networks were constructed via STRING, followed by GO/KEGG enrichment analysis. Statistical analysis was performed using the two independent samples t-test. The results showed that EFHD2 demonstrated significant upregulation in HCC tissues versus normal controls ( P<0.05). Elevated EFHD2 expression correlated with advanced clinical stage ( P<0.05) and poor differentiation ( P<0.05). In the CCK-8 assay, the EFHD2 overexpression group demonstrated significantly higher cell viability than the control group, as evidenced by 450 nm relative absorbance values on Day 1 (0.529±0.019 vs. 0.515±0.016, F=0.041, P=0.320), Day 2 (1.356±0.019 vs. 1.094±0.042, F=3.833, P<0.001), Day 3 (2.817±0.049 vs. 2.143±0.124, F=3.833, P<0.001), and Day 4 (3.848±0.015 vs. 3.430±0.021, F=0.469, P<0.001). The EFHD2 knockdown group showed reduced cell viability compared to controls: Day 1 (0.541±0.020 vs. 0.552±0.015, F=0.098, P=0.423), Day 2 (1.154±0.009 vs. 1.326±0.029, F=2.485, P<0.001), Day 3 (2.453±0.041 vs. 2.653±0.031, F=0.479, P<0.001), and Day 4 (3.685±0.038 vs. 3.836±0.021, F=6.804, P<0.001). In colony formation assays, the overexpression group displayed a significant increase in colony numbers (254.667±23.861 vs. 186.000±16.703, F=0.865, P=0.015), whereas the knockdown group exhibited decreased colony formation (229.000±24.637 vs. 306.667±36.501, F=0.988, P=0.038). In Transwell assays, the EFHD2 overexpression group revealed enhanced migratory capacity [ (605.000±72.670) cells vs. (472.667±28.095) cells, F=2.462, P=0.042] and invasive potential [(767.333±21.221) cells vs. (414.333±16.623) cells, F=0.331, P<0.001]. The knockdown group showed attenuated migration [(311.000±71.084) cells vs. (479.667±50.846) cells, F=0.718, P=0.029] and invasion [(247.667±48.263) cells vs. (345.667±32.130) cells, F=0.727, P=0.043] compared to controls. The network of EFHD2-interacting proteins was further constructed by the STRING database, and the GO and KEGG analysis were used to perform bioinformatics analysis reveal that EFHD2 is mainly involved in actin cytoskeleton regulation. In conclusion, EFHD2 is highly expressed in HCC and is involved in the process of proliferation, migration and invasion of HCC.
8.Comparative Study of the Positive Psychological Resources Network of Adolescents With Non-Suicidal Self-Injury
Yuge JIA ; Xiao LIAO ; Yuan FENG ; Ting ZHU ; Xuan CAO ; Wei ZHANG
Journal of Sichuan University (Medical Sciences) 2025;56(3):864-872
Objective To explore the differences in positive psychological resources among elementary and secondary school students with and without non-suicidal self-injury(NSSI)behaviors.Methods Between September and October 2023,the assessment data of 56 870 students aged 9 to 18 years in Chengdu,Sichuan Province were collected.The R software package was used to evaluate the network structure and symptom centrality,and the global strength and structural differences of the networks of students with and without NSSI behaviors in elementary,junior high,and senior high schools were compared.Results The prevalence of NSSI among elementary and secondary school students stands at 12.21%.Specifically,it peaks in junior high school students,reaching 14.22%,followed by that in senior middle school students at 13.66%,and is lowest in elementary school students at 10.17%.Regarding the network structure in elementary school students,irrespective of the presence or absence of NSSI behavior,subjective support exhibits the strongest network strength,and family functioning demonstrates the highest closeness centrality.Among junior high school students without NSSI behaviors,the strongest network strength was observed in subjective support,whereas for those with NSSI behaviors,self-esteem showed the strongest network strength.In addition,subjective support exhibited the highest closeness centrality in both groups.In senior high school students,self-esteem was the factor with the strongest network strength for students with or without NSSI behaviors.For senior high school students without NSSI,subjective support had the highest closeness centrality,while for those with NSSI,expressive suppression showed the highest closeness centrality.The edge weights differed significantly among elementary school students in family functioning-self-esteem(E=0.093)and family functioning-objective support(E=0.087).For junior high school students,significant differences were found in objective support-subjective support(E=0.131)and family functioning-impulse control(E=0.109).Among senior high school students,significant differences were observed in impulse control-family function(E=0.133)and subjective support-utilization of support(E=0.130)(P<0.05).Conclusion Excessive family involvement in elementary school students and expressive suppression in senior high school students may be important influencing factors for NSSI behaviors.The lack of social support has a greater impact on junior and senior high school students.The strength of the connection among subjective support,objective support,and utilization of support is an important indicator.
9.The Expression Characteristics,Clinical Relevance and Tumor Inhibition of KCNN3 in Gastric Adenocarcinoma
Zi-Qing ZHAN ; Jia-Bei JIN ; Yu-Xuan LI ; Jia-Xin SHI ; Meng YE ; Xiao-Feng JIN
Chinese Journal of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology 2025;41(4):560-575,中插1-中插4
Potassium-calcium activates channel subfamily N member 3(KCNN3/SK3/KCa2.3)is in-volved in regulating cellular calcium signaling,muscle contraction and neurotransmitter release.Dysregu-lation of the KCNN3 channel is associated with the development of various tumors.We use bioinformatics analysis to identify whether KCNN3 regulates the occurrence and development of stomach adenocarcinoma(STAD)as a prognostic target.By analyzing the Human Protein Atlas(HPA)database and The Cancer Genome Atlas(TCGA)database,we found that the protein and mRNA levels of KCNN3 were dramatic-ally reduced in STAD,and TCGA database showed that KCNN3 significantly correlated with the prognosis and clinical features of STAD.In addition,we found that high expression of KCNN3 in STAD reduced the IC50 of several drugs in STAD cells,suggesting that high expression of KCNN3 correlated with the drug sensitivity of STAD.To investigate the underlying biological mechanism,we identified a potential KCNN3 interaction factor,tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily member 7(CD27/TNFRSF7),which is expressed at low levels in STAD.RT-qPCR and Western blotting confirmed that KCNN3 and CD27 positively correlated with each other at protein and mRNA levels,and co-immunoprecipitation and immunofluorescence experiments confirmed that the two proteins interact and colocalize in the cytoplasm.Moreover,we confirmed the inhibitory effect of KCNN3 on the proliferation,migration and invasion of hu-man STAD cells in vitro and in vivo through subcutaneous tumorigenesis and cellular experiments.Fur-thermore,GO/KEGG enrichment analysis showed that KCNN3 was enriched in signaling pathways regula-ting the immune response and calcium or metal ion transport.Lastly,we verified through cell co-culture,RT-qPCR and CCK8 assays that high expression of KCNN3 can promote the increase of T cell activating factor and the killing effect of T cells on STAD cells.Therefore,our results suggest that KCNN3 is a po-tential inhibitory factor affecting the occurrence and progression of STAD.
10.Preliminary study on the biological role of EF-hand domain-containing protein 2 in hepatocellular carcinoma
Yanmei ZHANG ; Xiao LI ; Xueqiang JIA ; Juanzi LIU ; Wanqing LI ; Junfeng XUAN ; Shiyu FENG ; Zhaohui SUN ; Weiyun ZHANG
Chinese Journal of Preventive Medicine 2025;59(8):1224-1231
This study investigates the expression pattern and functional significance of EF-hand domain-containing protein 2 (EFHD2) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), with particular focus on its regulatory effects on tumor proliferation, migration, and invasion. Cellular experimental study was completed from June 2024 to January 2025 in the Basic Laboratory of the General Hospital of Southern Theater Command. TCGA database to determine EFHD2 expression and its clinicopathological correlations. GSCA database to assess methylation patterns and immune infiltration. Model of transient overexpression and knockdown of EFHD2 was constructed in hepatocellular carcinoma cells Hep3B, then RT-qPCR and Western blot were applied to verify the transfection efficiency. CCK-8 and colony formation assays for proliferation assessment, Transwell chambers for migration/invasion quantification. Protein-protein interaction networks were constructed via STRING, followed by GO/KEGG enrichment analysis. Statistical analysis was performed using the two independent samples t-test. The results showed that EFHD2 demonstrated significant upregulation in HCC tissues versus normal controls ( P<0.05). Elevated EFHD2 expression correlated with advanced clinical stage ( P<0.05) and poor differentiation ( P<0.05). In the CCK-8 assay, the EFHD2 overexpression group demonstrated significantly higher cell viability than the control group, as evidenced by 450 nm relative absorbance values on Day 1 (0.529±0.019 vs. 0.515±0.016, F=0.041, P=0.320), Day 2 (1.356±0.019 vs. 1.094±0.042, F=3.833, P<0.001), Day 3 (2.817±0.049 vs. 2.143±0.124, F=3.833, P<0.001), and Day 4 (3.848±0.015 vs. 3.430±0.021, F=0.469, P<0.001). The EFHD2 knockdown group showed reduced cell viability compared to controls: Day 1 (0.541±0.020 vs. 0.552±0.015, F=0.098, P=0.423), Day 2 (1.154±0.009 vs. 1.326±0.029, F=2.485, P<0.001), Day 3 (2.453±0.041 vs. 2.653±0.031, F=0.479, P<0.001), and Day 4 (3.685±0.038 vs. 3.836±0.021, F=6.804, P<0.001). In colony formation assays, the overexpression group displayed a significant increase in colony numbers (254.667±23.861 vs. 186.000±16.703, F=0.865, P=0.015), whereas the knockdown group exhibited decreased colony formation (229.000±24.637 vs. 306.667±36.501, F=0.988, P=0.038). In Transwell assays, the EFHD2 overexpression group revealed enhanced migratory capacity [ (605.000±72.670) cells vs. (472.667±28.095) cells, F=2.462, P=0.042] and invasive potential [(767.333±21.221) cells vs. (414.333±16.623) cells, F=0.331, P<0.001]. The knockdown group showed attenuated migration [(311.000±71.084) cells vs. (479.667±50.846) cells, F=0.718, P=0.029] and invasion [(247.667±48.263) cells vs. (345.667±32.130) cells, F=0.727, P=0.043] compared to controls. The network of EFHD2-interacting proteins was further constructed by the STRING database, and the GO and KEGG analysis were used to perform bioinformatics analysis reveal that EFHD2 is mainly involved in actin cytoskeleton regulation. In conclusion, EFHD2 is highly expressed in HCC and is involved in the process of proliferation, migration and invasion of HCC.

Result Analysis
Print
Save
E-mail