Prognostic significance of nuclear hepatoma-derived growth factor expression in gallbladder cancer

NAP1L1 promotes tumor proliferation through HDGF/C-JUN signaling in ovarian cancer

Background

Nucleosome assembly protein 1-like 1 (NAP1L1) is highly expressed in various types of cancer and plays an important role in carcinogenesis, but its specific role in tumor development and progression remains largely unknown. In this study, we suggest the potential of NAP1L1 as a prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target for the treatment of ovarian cancer (OC).

Methods

In our study, a tissue microarray (TMA) slide containing specimens from 149 patients with OC and 11 normal ovarian tissues underwent immunohistochemistry (IHC) to analyze the correlation between NAP1L1 expression and clinicopathological features. Loss-of- function experiments were performed by transfecting siRNA and following lentiviral gene transduction into SKOV3 and OVCAR3 cells. Cell proliferation and the cell cycle were assessed by the Cell Counting Kit-8, EDU assay, flow cytometry, colony formation assay, and Western blot analysis. In addition, co-immunoprecipitation (Co-IP) and immunofluorescence assays were performed to confirm the relationship between NAP1L1 and its potential targets in SKOV3/OVCAR3 cells.

Results

High expression of NAP1L1 was closely related to poor clinical outcomes in OC patients. After knocking down NAP1L1 by siRNA or shRNA, both SKOV3 and OVCAR3 cells showed inhibition of cell proliferation, blocking of the G1/S phase, and increased apoptosis in vitro. Mechanism analysis indicated that NAP1L1 interacted with hepatoma-derived growth factor (HDGF) and they were co-localized in the cytoplasm. Furthermore, HDGF can interact with jun proto-oncogene (C-JUN), an oncogenic transformation factor that induces the expression of cyclin D1 (CCND1). Overexpressed HDGF in NAP1L1 knockdown OC cells not only increased the expression of C-JUN and CCND1, but it also reversed the suppressive effects of si-NAP1L1 on cell proliferation.

Conclusions

Our data demonstrated that NAP1L1 could act as a prognostic biomarker in OC and can interact with HDGF to mediate the proliferation of OC, and this process of triggered proliferation may contribute to the activation of HDGF/C-JUN signaling in OC cells.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12885-022-09356-z.

Hepatoma-Derived Growth Factor: An Overview and Its Role as a Potential Therapeutic Target Molecule for Digestive Malignancies

Hepatoma-derived growth factor (HDGF) was identified in research seeking to find a novel growth factor for hepatoma cells. Subsequently, four HDGF-related proteins were identified, and these proteins are considered to be members of a new gene family. HDGF has a growth-stimulating role, an angiogenesis-inducing role, and a probable anti-apoptotic role. HDGF is ubiquitously expressed in non-cancerous tissues, and participates in organ development and in the healing of damaged tissues. In addition, the high expression of HDGF was reported to be closely associated with unfavorable clinical outcomes in several malignant diseases. Thus, HDGF is considered to contribute to the development and progression of malignant disease. We herein provide a brief overview of the factor and its functions in relation to benign and malignant cells. We also describe its possible role as a target molecule for digestive malignancies.

LncRNA TDRG1 promotes the aggressiveness of gastric carcinoma through regulating miR-873-5p/HDGF axis

Gastric carcinoma (GC) is still one of the most common digestive system neoplasms and the primary reason for malignant cancer-associated death. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been reported to play critical roles in GC progression. In this study, we demonstrated that lncRNA testis development-related gene 1 (TDRG1) is markedly upregulated in clinical GC tissues and GC cells. High level of lncRNA TDRG1 correlates with the metastasis and prognosis of patients with GC. Overexpression of lncRNA TDRG1 promotes GC growth and metastatic-related traits in vitro and in vivo, and silencing TDRG1 causes opposite results. We future find that TDRG1 is inversely associated with miR-873-5p and positively modulates the expression of hepatoma-derived growth factor (HDGF), a functional target gene of miR-873-5p. Finally, lncRNA TDRG1 regulates the progression of GC through regulating miR-873-5p/HDGF pathway. Taken together, our data uncover the crucial function of TDRG1-miR-873-5p-HDGF axis in human gastric cancer.

Molecular pathways and potential biomarkers in gallbladder cancer: A comprehensive review

The most common malignancy of the biliary tract, gallbladder cancer (GBC) often has a dismal prognosis. The aggressive nature of the tumor, delayed diagnosis at advanced stages of the disease, and lack of effective treatment options are some of the factors that contribute to a poor outcome. Early detection and accurate assessment of disease burden is critical to optimize management and improve long-term survival, as well as identify patients for adjuvant therapy and clinical trials. With recent advances in the understanding of the molecular pathogenesis of GBC, several specific diagnostic and biomarkers have been proposed as being of diagnostic and prognostic importance. Indeed, identification of novel diagnostic and prognostic markers has an important role in early diagnosis and development of targeted therapies among patients with GBC. Next-generation sequencing technology and genomewide data analysis have provided novel insight into understanding the molecular pathogenesis of biliary tract cancers, thereby identifying potential biomarkers for clinical use. We herein review available GBC biomarkers and the potential clinical implications in the management of GBC.

Hepatoma-derived growth factor participates in Helicobacter Pylori-induced neutrophils recruitment, gastritis and gastric carcinogenesis

Helicobacter pylori (Hp) infection and overexpression of hepatoma-derived growth factor (HDGF) are involved in gastric carcinogenesis. However, the relationship between Hp-induced gastric diseases and HDGF upregulation is not yet completely clear. This study aimed to elucidate the role of HDGF in Hp-induced gastric inflammation and carcinogenesis. HDGF expression in gastric biopsy and serum from patients was analyzed by immunohistochemical and ELISA analysis, respectively. Hp and gastric cells coculture system was employed to delineate the mechanism underlying HDGF overexpression during Hp infection. The gastric pathologies of wild type and HDGF knockout mice after Hp infection were investigated by immunohistochemical, immunoblot, and immunofluorescence analyses. HDGF level was significantly elevated in patients with Hp infection or intestinal metaplasia (IM, a precancerous lesion), and HDGF overexpression was positively correlated with Hp load, IM, and neutrophil infiltration in gastric biopsy. Consistently, patients with Hp infection or IM had significantly higher serum HDGF level. By using coculture assay, Hp infection led to HDGF upregulation and secretion in gastric cells. In mice model, HDGF ablation significantly suppressed the Hp-induced neutrophil infiltration and inflammatory TNF-α/COX-2 signaling, thereby relieving the tissue damage in stomach. This was further supported by that recombinant HDGF (rHDGF) stimulated the differentiation/chemotaxis of cultured neutrophils and oncogenic behaviors of gastric cells. Time series studies showed that Hp infection elicited an inflammatory TNF-α/HDGF/COX-2 cascade in stomach. HDGF secretion by Hp infection promotes the neutrophils infiltration and relays Hp-induced inflammatory signaling. Thus, HDGF may constitute a novel diagnostic marker and therapeutic target for Hp-induced gastritis and carcinogenesis.

Downregulated expression of hepatoma-derived growth factor inhibits migration and invasion of prostate cancer cells by suppressing epithelial-mesenchymal transition and MMP2, MMP9

Hepatoma-derived growth factor (HDGF) is commonly over-expressed and plays critical roles in the development and progression in a variety of cancers. It has previously been shown that HDGF is overregulated in prostate cancer cells compared to normal prostate cells, which is correlated with cellular migration and invasion of prostate cancer. Here, the molecular mechanisms of HDGF in prostate cancer is investigated. It is shown that HDGF knockdown reduces prostate cancer cellular migration and invasion in both androgen-sensitive LNCaP cells and androgen-insensitive DU145 and PC3 cells. Furthermore, Western blot analysis reveals that HDGF knockdown inhibits epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of prostate cancer cells by upregulation of protein E-cadherin and downregulation of proteins N-cadherin, Vimentin, Snail and Slug. In addition, mechanistic studies reveal that proteins MMP2 and MMP9 are down-regulated. In conclusion, our data suggested that HDGF knockdown inhibits cellular migration and invasion in vitro of prostate cancer via modulating epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) signaling pathway, as well as MMP2 and MMP9 signaling pathway. These results supported that HDGF is a relevant protein in the progression of prostate cancer and may serve as a potentially therapeutic target for prostate cancer as well as its downstream targets.

Positive feedback loop of hepatoma-derived growth factor and β-catenin promotes carcinogenesis of colorectal cancer

To clarify the role of hepatoma-derived growth factor (HDGF) and β-catenin in carcinogenesis of colorectal cancer (CRC), our results showed that high HDGF expression was found in CRC cells and tissues and significantly related to histological differentiation (p = 0.035) and lymph node metastasis (p = 0.000). Significant positive correlation between HDGF expression and β-catenin abnormal expression was found in CRC tissues. High HDGF and lymph node metastasis were the strong independent prognostic indicators for reduced overall survival in CRC patients. HDGF knockdown dramatically inhibited cellular proliferation, migration, invasion, and tumorigenesis, both in vitro and in vivo, but induced G1 phase arrest and apoptosis in CRC cells. HDGF knock-down dramatically suppressed β-catenin and its down-stream genes expression in CRC cells. Intriguingly, β-catenin knock-down dramatically suppressed HDGF expression in CRC cells. Human recombinant Wnt3a and DKK1 treatment increased and decreased HDGF, β-catenin, c-Myc, cyclin D1, MMP9, and phos-GSK-3β (Ser9) protein expression in nuclear and cytoplasmic fraction of CRC cells upon β-catenin knock-down, respectively. Three HDGF-binding elements in β-catenin promoter were found and specific for transcriptional activation of β-catenin in CRC cells. In conclusion, our results first suggest that HDGF and β-catenin interacts as a positive feedback loop, which plays an important role in carcinogenesis and progression of CRC.

Prognostic role of hepatoma-derived growth factor in solid tumors of Eastern Asia: a systematic review and meta- analysis

Hepatoma-derived growth factor (HDGF) is a novel jack-of-all-trades in cancer. Here we quantify the prognostic impact of this biomarker and assess how consistent is its expression in solid tumors. A comprehensive search strategy was used to search relevant literature updated on October 3, 2014 in PubMed, EMBASE and WEB of Science. Correlations between HDGF expression and clinicopathological features or cancer prognosis was analyzed. All pooled HRs or ORs were derived from random-effects models. Twenty-six studies, primarily in Eastern Asia, covering 2,803 patients were included in the analysis, all of them published during the past decade. We found that HDGF overexpression was significantly associated with overall survival (OS) (HROS=2.35, 95%CI=2.04-2.71, p<0.001) and disease free survival (DFS) (HRDFS=2.25, 95%CI =1.81-2.79, p<0.001) in solid tumors, especially in non-small cell lung cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma and cholangiocarcinoma (CCA). Moreover, multivariate survival analysis showed that HDGF overexpression was an independent predictor of poor prognosis (HROS=2.41, 95%CI: 2.02-2.81, p<0.001; HRDFS=2.39, 95%CI: 1.77-3.24, p<0.001). In addition, HDGF overexpression was significantly associated with tumor category (T3-4 versus T1-2, OR=2.12, 95%CI: 1.17-3.83, p=0.013) and lymph node status (N+ versus N-, OR=2.37, 95%CI: 1.31-4.29, p=0.03) in CCA. This study provides a comprehensive examination of the literature available on the association of HDGF overexpression with OS, DFS and some clinicopathological features in solid tumors. Meta-analysis results provide evidence that HDGF may be a new indicator of poor cancer prognosis. Considering the limitations of the eligible studies, other large-scale prospective trials must be conducted to clarify the prognostic value of HDGF in predicting cancer survival.

Hepatoma-derived growth factor predicts unfavorable prognosis of epithelial ovarian cancer

Aim

To evaluate the expression and clinical significance of hepatoma-derived growth factor (HDGF) in epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC).

Background

Recent studies have demonstrated that HDGF overexpression correlates to the progression and poor prognosis in several kinds of cancers. However, the clinical significance and prognostic value of HDGF in EOC have not been investigated.

Methods

Expression of HDGF was visualized by immunohistology and then the cohort was divided into higher- and lower-expression groups. The correlation between HDGF and clinicopathologic factors was analyzed by χ² test. The prognostic value of HDGF was assessed by univariate analysis with Kaplan–Meier method, and by multivariate analysis with Cox-regression model. With experiments in vitro, HDGF expression in ovarian cancer cell lines was detected by immunoblotting.

Results

Higher HDGF expression rate was 52.76% in EOC. HDGF expression was significantly associated with lymphatic metastasis (P=0.006). Higher HDGF expression was closely correlated to poorer 5-year overall survival rate with univariate analysis (P=0.003), and was identified as an independent prognostic factor with multivariate analysis (P=0.007). With experiments in vitro, HDGF was proved to exist in all ovarian cancer cell lines with different expression levels.

Conclusion

HDGF expression correlates to unfavorable prognosis and can be considered as an independent prognostic factor, indicating that HDGF may be a promising potential molecular drug target.

Hepatoma-Derived Growth Factor: Its Possible Involvement in the Progression of Hepatocellular Carcinoma

The development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is an important complication of viral infection induced by hepatitis virus C, and our major research theme is to identify a new growth factor related to the progression of HCC. HDGF (hepatoma-derived growth factor) is a novel growth factor that belongs to a new gene family. HDGF was initially purified from the conditioned medium of a hepatoma cell line. HDGF promotes cellular proliferation as a DNA binding nuclear factor and a secreted protein acting via a receptor-mediated pathway. HDGF is a unique multi-functional protein that can function as a growth factor, angiogenic factor and anti-apoptotic factor and it participates in the development and progression of various malignant diseases. The expression level of HDGF may be an independent prognostic factor for predicting the disease-free and overall survival in patients with various malignancies, including HCC. Furthermore, the overexpression of HDGF promotes the proliferation of HCC cells, while a reduction in the HDGF expression inhibits the proliferation of HCC cells. This article provides an overview of the characteristics of HDGF and describes the potential role of HDGF as a growth-promoting factor for HCC.