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Hepcidin in hepatocellular carcinoma. Br J Cancer 2022; 127:185-192. [PMID: 35264787 PMCID: PMC9296449 DOI: 10.1038/s41416-022-01753-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2021] [Revised: 01/26/2022] [Accepted: 02/09/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common reasons for cancer-related deaths. Excess iron increases HCC risk. Inevitably, hepcidin, the iron hormone that maintains systemic iron homoeostasis is involved in HCC pathology. Distinct from other cancers that show high hepcidin expression, HCC patients can show low hepcidin levels. Thus, it is of immense clinical benefit to address the regulation and action of hepcidin in HCC as this may help in identifying molecular targets for diagnosis, prognosis, and therapeutics. Accordingly, this review explores hepcidin in HCC. It presents the levels of tissue and serum hepcidin and explains the mechanisms that contribute to hepcidin reduction in HCC. These include downregulation of HAMP, TfR2, HJV, ALK2 and circular RNA circ_0004913, upregulation of matriptase-2 and GDF15, inactivation of RUNX3 and mutation in TP53. The enigmas around mir-122 and the functionalities of two major hepcidin inducers BMP6 and IL6 in relation to hepcidin in HCC are discussed. Effects of hepcidin downregulation are explained, specifically, increased cancer proliferation via activation of CDK1/STAT3 pathway and increased HCC risk due to reduction in a hepcidin-mediated protective effect against hepatic stellate cell activation. Hepcidin–ferroportin axis in HCC is addressed. Finally, the role of hepcidin in the diagnosis, prognosis and therapeutics of HCC is highlighted.
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Menezes AC, Dixon C, Scholz A, Nicholson R, Leckenby A, Azevedo A, Baker S, Gilkes AF, Davies S, Darley RL, Tonks A. RUNX3 overexpression inhibits normal human erythroid development. Sci Rep 2022; 12:1243. [PMID: 35075235 PMCID: PMC8786893 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-05371-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2021] [Accepted: 01/11/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
RUNX proteins belong to a family of transcription factors essential for cellular proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis with emerging data implicating RUNX3 in haematopoiesis and haematological malignancies. Here we show that RUNX3 plays an important regulatory role in normal human erythropoiesis. The impact of altering RUNX3 expression on erythropoiesis was determined by transducing human CD34+ cells with RUNX3 overexpression or shRNA knockdown vectors. Analysis of RUNX3 mRNA expression showed that RUNX3 levels decreased during erythropoiesis. Functionally, RUNX3 overexpression had a modest impact on early erythroid growth and development. However, in late-stage erythroid development, RUNX3 promoted growth and inhibited terminal differentiation with RUNX3 overexpressing cells exhibiting lower expression of glycophorin A, greater cell size and less differentiated morphology. These results suggest that suppression of RUNX3 is required for normal erythropoiesis. Overexpression of RUNX3 increased colony formation in liquid culture whilst, corresponding RUNX3 knockdown suppressed colony formation but otherwise had little impact. This study demonstrates that the downregulation of RUNX3 observed in normal human erythropoiesis is important in promoting the terminal stages of erythroid development and may further our understanding of the role of this transcription factor in haematological malignancies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Catarina Menezes
- Division of Cancer & Genetics, Department of Haematology, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, Wales, CF14 4XN, UK
| | - Christabel Dixon
- Division of Cancer & Genetics, Department of Haematology, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, Wales, CF14 4XN, UK
| | - Anna Scholz
- Division of Cancer & Genetics, Department of Haematology, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, Wales, CF14 4XN, UK
| | - Rachael Nicholson
- Division of Cancer & Genetics, Department of Haematology, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, Wales, CF14 4XN, UK
| | - Adam Leckenby
- Division of Cancer & Genetics, Department of Haematology, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, Wales, CF14 4XN, UK
| | - Aleksandra Azevedo
- Division of Cancer & Genetics, Department of Haematology, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, Wales, CF14 4XN, UK
| | - Sarah Baker
- Division of Cancer & Genetics, Department of Haematology, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, Wales, CF14 4XN, UK.,Cardiff Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre (ECMC), School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, CF14 4XN, UK
| | - Amanda F Gilkes
- Division of Cancer & Genetics, Department of Haematology, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, Wales, CF14 4XN, UK.,Cardiff Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre (ECMC), School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, CF14 4XN, UK
| | - Sara Davies
- Division of Cancer & Genetics, Department of Haematology, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, Wales, CF14 4XN, UK
| | - Richard L Darley
- Division of Cancer & Genetics, Department of Haematology, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, Wales, CF14 4XN, UK
| | - Alex Tonks
- Division of Cancer & Genetics, Department of Haematology, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, Wales, CF14 4XN, UK.
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