BACKGROUND: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignant tumors in the world. The ubiquitin-specific peptidase 25 (USP25) protein has been reported to participate in the development of several cancers. However, few studies have reported its association with HCC. In this study, we aimed to investigate the function and mechanism of USP25 in the progression of HCC. METHODS: We analyzed USP25 protein expression in HCC based on The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC) database cohorts. Then, we constructed USP25-overexpressing and USP25-knockdown HepG2, MHCC97H, and L-O2 cells. We detected the biological function of USP25 by performing a series of assays, such as Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8), colony formation, transwell, and wound healing assays. Western blotting and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) analyses were performed to detect the interaction between USP25 and the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. The relationship between USP25 and tripartite motif-containing 21 (TRIM21) was assessed through mass spectrometry and co-immunoprecipitation (Co-IP) analysis. Finally, we constructed a mouse liver cancer model with the USP25 gene deletion to verify in vivo role of USP25. RESULTS: USP25 was highly expressed in HCC tissue and HCC cell lines. Importantly, high expression of USP25 in tissues was closely related to a poor prognosis. USP25 knockdown markedly reduced the proliferation, migration, and invasion of HepG2 and MHCC97H cells, whereas USP25 overexpression led to the opposite effects. In addition, we demonstrated that USP25 interacts with TRIM21 to regulate the expression of proteins related to epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT; E-cadherin, N-cadherin, and Snail) and the Wnt/β-catenin pathway (β-catenin, Adenomatous polyposis coli, Axin2 and Glycogen synthase kinase 3 beta) and those of their downstream proteins (C-myc and Cyclin D1). Finally, we verified that knocking out USP25 inhibited tumor growth and distant metastasis in vivo . CONCLUSIONS In summary, our data showed that USP25 was overexpressed in HCC. USP25 promoted the proliferation, migration, invasion, and EMT of HCC cells by interacting with TRIM21 to activate the β-catenin signaling pathway.
Animals ; Mice ; beta Catenin/genetics* ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/pathology* ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Movement/genetics* ; Cell Proliferation/genetics* ; Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition/genetics* ; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic ; Liver Neoplasms/pathology* ; Ubiquitin Thiolesterase/metabolism* ; Wnt Signaling Pathway/genetics*

Objective To explore the effect of formononetin on immunity of mice with transplanted H22 hepatocarcinoma. Methods Male C57BL/6 mice were subcutaneously inoculated with H22 cells (4×10⁵) to establish a tumor-bearing mouse model. The mice were treated with formononetin [10 mg/(kg.d)] or [50 mg/(kg.d)] for 28 days, and then the tumor inhibition rate was calculated. Carrilizumab was used as a positive control drug. The expressions of CD8, granzyme B and forkbox transcription factor 3 (FOXP3) in HCC tissues were analyzed by immunohistochemical staining. The mRNA and protein expression of programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) and its ligand 1 (PD-L1) in HCC tissues were detected by real-time PCR or Western blot analysis, respectively. The serum levels of interleukin-10 (IL-10) and transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) were detected by ELISA. Results Formononetin increased the tumor inhibition rate and the positive rate of CD8 and granzyme B staining in tumor-bearing mice. There was no significant difference in the positive rate of FOXP3 staining in tumor tissues of mice in each group. Formononetin decreased the levels of IL-10 and TGF-β in serum of tumor-bearing mice, and decreased the relative expression of mRNA and protein of PD-1 and PD-L1 in tumor tissue of tumor-bearing mice. Conclusion Formononetin can activate CD8⁺ T cells and reduce the release of immunosuppressive factors in regulatory T cells by blocking PD-1/PD-L1 pathway and play an antitumor role.
Male ; Animals ; Mice ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/pathology* ; Liver Neoplasms/genetics* ; Interleukin-10/genetics* ; B7-H1 Antigen ; Granzymes/genetics* ; Programmed Cell Death 1 Receptor/metabolism* ; CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes/metabolism* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Transforming Growth Factor beta/genetics* ; RNA, Messenger/metabolism* ; Forkhead Transcription Factors/genetics* ; Cell Line, Tumor

OBJECTIVE: Programmed cell death 6 (PDCD6), a Ca ²⁺-binding protein, has been reported to be aberrantly expressed in all kinds of tumors. The aim of this study was to explore the role and mechanism of PDCD6 in hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs). METHODS: The expression levels of PDCD6 in liver cancer patients and HCC cell lines were analyzed using bioinformatics and Western blotting. Cell viability and metastasis were determined by methylthiazol tetrazolium (MTT) and transwell assays, respectively. And Western blotting was used to test related biomarkers and molecular pathway factors in HCC cell lines. LY294002, a PI3K inhibitor inhibiting AKT, was used to suppress the AKT/GSK3β/β-catenin pathway to help evaluate the role of this pathway in the HCC carcinogenesis associated with PDCD6. RESULTS: The analysis of The Cancer Genome Atlas Database suggested that high PDCD6 expression levels were relevant to liver cancer progression. This was consistent with our finding of higher levels of PDCD6 expression in HCC cell lines than in normal hepatocyte cell lines. The results of MTT, transwell migration, and Western blotting assays revealed that overexpression of PDCD6 positively regulated HCC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. Conversely, the upregulation of PDCD6 expression in the presence of an AKT inhibitor inhibited HCC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. In addition, PDCD6 promoted HCC cell migration and invasion by epithelial-mesenchymal transition. The mechanistic investigation proved that PDCD6 acted as a tumor promoter in HCC through the AKT/GSK3β/β-catenin pathway, increasing the expression of transcription factors and cellular proliferation and metastasis. CONCLUSION PDCD6 has a tumor stimulative role in HCC mediated by AKT/GSK3β/β-catenin signaling and might be a potential target for HCC progression.
Humans ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/pathology* ; Liver Neoplasms/pathology* ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt/metabolism* ; beta Catenin/metabolism* ; Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases/metabolism* ; Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3 beta/metabolism* ; Cell Line ; Cell Proliferation ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic ; Calcium-Binding Proteins/metabolism* ; Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins/genetics*

Accumulating evidence has confirmed the links between transfer RNA (tRNA) modifications and tumor progression. The present study is the first to explore the role of tRNA methyltransferase 5 (TRMT5), which catalyzes the m1G37 modification of mitochondrial tRNAs in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) progression. Here, based on bioinformatics and clinical analyses, we identified that TRMT5 expression was upregulated in HCC, which correlated with poor prognosis. Silencing TRMT5 attenuated HCC proliferation and metastasis both in vivo and in vitro, which may be partially explained by declined extracellular acidification rate (ECAR) and oxygen consumption rate (OCR). Mechanistically, we discovered that knockdown of TRMT5 inactivated the hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1) signaling pathway by preventing HIF-1α stability through the enhancement of cellular oxygen content. Moreover, our data indicated that inhibition of TRMT5 sensitized HCC to doxorubicin by adjusting HIF-‍1α. In conclusion, our study revealed that targeting TRMT5 could inhibit HCC progression and increase the susceptibility of tumor cells to chemotherapy drugs. Thus, TRMT5 might be a carcinogenesis candidate gene that could serve as a potential target for HCC therapy.
Humans ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/pathology* ; Cell Hypoxia ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic ; Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha Subunit/metabolism* ; Liver Neoplasms/pathology* ; Signal Transduction/genetics* ; tRNA Methyltransferases/metabolism*

To explore whether PPARA is involved in the process of ferroptosis in hepatoma cells, peroxisome proliferator activated receptor (PPARA) was comprehensively analyzed in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) through public database and experimental data, including the expression, the functions and the potential roles of tumor progression. The research design is experimental research,data analysis based on bioinformatics and cell experiment. From January 2022 to August 2022, relevant cell experiments were conducted in the Basic Medical Laboratory of the General Hospital of the Southern Theatre of the Chinese People's Liberation Army. The expression and the correlation with clinicopathologic features of PPARA in HCC were analyzed by The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) databases. To study the protein expression of PPARA in HCC and normal tissues through the Human Protein Atlas (HPA). The protein-protein interaction (PPI) network between PPARA and the core factor of ferroptosis was constructed based on Search Tool for the Retrival of Interacting Genes/Protein (STRING) database, then, the correlation between PPARA and the core gene Glutamate-cysteine Ligase Catalytic Subunit (GCLC) was analyzed by Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis (GEPIA). Assessed the expression of PPARA in HCC cell lines SK-HEP-1, SMMC-7721, MHCC-97H, BEL-7402 and normal liver cell L02 by Western Blot (WB) and the changes of PPARA expression after 48h treatment with ferroptosis inducer Erastin were observed. Single factor analysis of variance was used to compare the expression of PPARA between groups in GEPIA database. The expression of PPARA in GSE25097 and GSE112790 data was compared by rank sum test. Survival analysis was performed using time series test method. The difference of PPARA expression between clinical and pathological features was compared using the Kruskal-Wallis test. The correlation between the expression of GCLC and PPARA was compared by the method of Spearman correlation. The expression of PPARA in cell lines was compared by paired T test. The results showed that the RNA and protein expression of PPARA in HCC was lower than that in normal tissues (P<0.05). PPARA alterations were correlated with patient clinicopathological features and prognosis (P<0.05). The PPI constructed by STRING database suggests that PPARA interact with the key factors of ferroptosis, such as NFE2 like bZIP transcription factor 2 (NFE2L2), Heme Oxygenase 1 (HMOX1), Tumor Protein P53 (TP53), GCLC, Dipeptidyl Peptidase 4 (DPP4), Citrate Synthase (CS), Arachidonate 15-Lipoxygenase (ALOX15) and Acyl-CoA Synthetase Long Chain Family Member 4 (ACSL4). Furthermore, the PPARA was significantly associated with GCLC validated via GEPIA database(R=0.6, P<0.05). The expression of PPARA increased after treatment with ferroptosis inducer Erastin for 48 h by WB. In conclusion, the expression of PPARA is lower in HCC with a poor prognosis. PPARA interacts with GCLC in regulating ferroptosis in HCC.
Humans ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/pathology* ; Ferroptosis ; Liver Neoplasms/pathology* ; Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptors/genetics*

Objective: To explore carnosine dipeptidase 1 (CNDP1) potential value as a diagnostic and prognostic evaluator of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods: A gene chip and GO analysis were used to screen the candidate marker molecule CNDP1 for HCC diagnosis. 125 cases of HCC cancer tissues, 85 cases of paracancerous tissues, 125 cases of liver cirrhosis tissues, 32 cases of relatively normal liver tissue at the extreme end of hepatic hemangioma, 66 cases from serum samples of HCC, and 82 cases of non-HCC were collected. Real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR, immunohistochemistry, western blot, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay were used to detect the differences in mRNA and protein expression levels of CNDP1 in HCC tissue and serum. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and Kaplan-Meier survival were used to analyze and evaluate the value of CNDP1 in the diagnosis and prognosis of HCC patients. Results: The expression level of CNDP1 was significantly reduced in HCC cancer tissues. The levels of CNDP1 were significantly lower in the cancer tissues and serum of HCC patients than those in liver cirrhosis patients and normal controls. ROC curve analysis showed that the area under the curve of serum CNDP1 in the diagnosis of HCC patients was 0.753 2 (95% CI 0.676-0.830 5), and the sensitivity and specificity were 78.79% and 62.5%, respectively. The combined detection of serum CNDP1 and serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) significantly improved the diagnostic accuracy (AUC = 0.820 6, 95% CI 0.753 5-0.887 8). The diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of serum CNDP1 for AFP-negative HCC patients were 73.68% and 68.75% (AUC = 0.793 1, 95% CI 0.708 8-0.877 4), respectively. In addition, the level of serum CNDP1 distinguished small liver cancer (tumor diameter < 3 cm) (AUC = 0.757 1, 95% CI 0.637 4-0.876 8). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that CNDP1 was associated with a poor prognosis in HCC patients. Conclusion: CNDP1 may be a potential biomarker for the diagnostic and prognostic evaluation of HCC, and it has certain complementarity with serum AFP.
Humans ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/genetics* ; Liver Neoplasms/pathology* ; Prognosis ; Carnosine ; alpha-Fetoproteins/metabolism* ; Biomarkers, Tumor/genetics* ; Liver Cirrhosis/diagnosis* ; ROC Curve

Lamin B1 (LMNB1) is highly expressed in liver cancer tissues, and its influence and mechanism on the proliferation of hepatocellular carcinoma cells were explored by knocking down the expression of the protein. In liver cancer cells, siRNAs were used to knock down LMNB1. Knockdown effects were detected by Western blotting. Changes in telomerase activity were detected by telomeric repeat amplification protocol assay (TRAP) experiments. Telomere length changes were detected by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). CCK8, cloning formation, transwell and wound healing were performed to detect changes in its growth, invasion and migration capabilities. The lentiviral system was used to construct HepG2 cells that steadily knocked down LMNB1. Then the changes of telomere length and telomerase activity were detected, and the cell aging status was detected by SA-β-gal senescence staining. The effects of tumorigenesis were detected by nude mouse subcutaneous tumorigenesis experiments, subsequent histification staining of tumors, SA-β-gal senescence staining, fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) for telomere analysis and other experiments. Finally, the method of biogenesis analysis was used to find the expression of LMNB1 in clinical liver cancer tissues, and its relationship with clinical stages and patient survival. Knockdown of LMNB1 in HepG2 and Hep3B cells significantly reduced telomerase activity, cell proliferation, migration and invasion abilities. Experiments in cells and tumor formation in nude mice had demonstrated that stable knockdown of LMNB1 reduced telomerase activity, shortened telomere length, senesced cells, reduced cell tumorigenicity and KI-67 expression. Bioinformatics analysis showed that LMNB1 was highly expressed in liver cancer tissues and correlated with tumor stage and patient survival. In conclusion, LMNB1 is overexpressed in liver cancer cells, and it is expected to become an indicator for evaluating the clinical prognosis of liver cancer patients and a target for precise treatment.
Animals ; Mice ; Telomerase/metabolism* ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/genetics* ; Liver Neoplasms/genetics* ; Telomere Shortening ; In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence ; Mice, Nude ; Telomere/pathology* ; Carcinogenesis

tRNA-derived small RNAs (tsRNAs) are novel non-coding RNAs that are involved in the occurrence and progression of diverse diseases. However, their exact presence and function in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remain unclear. Here, differentially expressed tsRNAs in HCC were profiled. A novel tsRNA, tRNA^Gln-TTG derived 5'-tiRNA-Gln, is significantly downregulated, and its expression level is correlated with progression in patients. In HCC cells, 5'-tiRNA-Gln overexpression impaired the proliferation, migration, and invasion in vitro and in vivo, while 5'-tiRNA-Gln knockdown yielded opposite results. 5'-tiRNA-Gln exerted its function by binding eukaryotic initiation factor 4A-I (EIF4A1), which unwinds complex RNA secondary structures during translation initiation, causing the partial inhibition of translation. The suppressed downregulated proteins include ARAF, MEK1/2 and STAT3, causing the impaired signaling pathway related to HCC progression. Furthermore, based on the construction of a mutant 5'-tiRNA-Gln, the sequence of forming intramolecular G-quadruplex structure is crucial for 5'-tiRNA-Gln to strongly bind EIF4A1 and repress translation. Clinically, 5'-tiRNA-Gln expression level is negatively correlated with ARAF, MEK1/2, and STAT3 in HCC tissues. Collectively, these findings reveal that 5'-tiRJNA-Gln interacts with EIF4A1 to reduce related mRNA binding through the intramolecular G-quadruplex structure, and this process partially inhibits translation and HCC progression.
Humans ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/pathology* ; Liver Neoplasms/pathology* ; Eukaryotic Initiation Factor-4A/genetics* ; Cell Line ; RNA, Transfer/metabolism* ; RNA ; Cell Proliferation

Platycodon grandiflorum (Jacq.) A. DC. is a famous medicinal plant commonly used in East Asia. Triterpene saponins isolated from P. grandiflorum are the main biologically active compounds, among which polygalacin D (PGD) has been reported to be an anti-tumor agent. However, its anti-tumor mechanism against hepatocellular carcinoma is unknown. This study aimed to explore the inhibitory effect of PGD in hepatocellular carcinoma cells and related mechanisms of action. We found that PGD exerted significant inhibitory effect on hepatocellular carcinoma cells through apoptosis and autophagy. Analysis of the expression of apoptosis-related proteins and autophagy-related proteins revealed that this phenomenon was attributed to the mitochondrial apoptosis and mitophagy pathways. Subsequently, using specific inhibitors, we found that apoptosis and autophagy had mutually reinforcing effects. In addition, further analysis of autophagy showed that PGD induced mitophagy by increasing BCL2 interacting protein 3 like (BNIP3L) levels.In vivo experiments demonstrated that PGD significantly inhibited tumor growth and increased the levels of apoptosis and autophagy in tumors. Overall, our findings showed that PGD induced cell death of hepatocellular carcinoma cells primarily through mitochondrial apoptosis and mitophagy pathways. Therefore, PGD can be used as an apoptosis and autophagy agonist in the research and development of antitumor agents.
Humans ; Mitophagy ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/pathology* ; Liver Neoplasms/pathology* ; Cell Line ; Autophagy ; Apoptosis ; Membrane Proteins ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins/genetics* ; Tumor Suppressor Proteins/pharmacology*

Autophagy is a programmed cell degradation process that is involved in a variety of physiological and pathological processes including malignant tumors. Abnormal induction of autophagy plays a key role in the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We established a prognosis prediction model for hepatocellular carcinoma based on autophagy related genes. Two hundred and four differentially expressed autophagy related genes and basic information and clinical characteristics of 377 registered hepatocellular carcinoma patients were retrieved from the cancer genome atlas database. Cox risk regression analysis was used to identify autophagy-related genes associated with survival, and a prognostic model was constructed based on this. A total of 64 differentially expressed autophagy related genes were identified in hepatocellular carcinoma patients. Five risk factors related to the prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma patients were determined by univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis, including TMEM74, BIRC5, SQSTM1, CAPN10 and HSPB8. Age, gender, tumor grade and stage, and risk score were included as variables in multivariate Cox regression analysis. The results showed that risk score was an independent prognostic risk factor for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma ( HR = 1.475, 95% CI = 1.280-1.699, P < 0.001). In addition, the area under the curve of the prognostic risk model was 0.739, indicating that the model had a high accuracy in predicting the prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma. The results suggest that the new prognostic risk model for hepatocellular carcinoma, established by combining the molecular characteristics and clinical parameters of patients, can effectively predict the prognosis of patients.
Autophagy/genetics* ; Biomarkers, Tumor/genetics* ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/pathology* ; Humans ; Liver Neoplasms/pathology* ; Membrane Proteins/genetics* ; Prognosis