The LINC00261/MiR105-5p/SELL axis is involved in dysfunction of B cell and is associated with overall survival in hepatocellular carcinoma

Fibroblast activation protein promotes progression of hepatocellular carcinoma via regulating the immunity

Fibroblast activation protein (FAP) has been indicated to express in cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) in most cancers. This work was dedicated to exploring FAP's effects on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The data were extracted from The Cancer Genome Atlas, Gene Expression Omnibus, ImmPort, and Reactome databases. The correlation between FAP and HCC patients' prognosis was explored via survival analysis. The qRT-PCR and western blot analysis were used to analyze the FAP mRNA and protein expression levels, respectively. The cell proliferation and apoptosis were determined using the cell counting kit-8 assay kit and Annexin V-FITC/PI apoptosis kit, respectively. The HCC patients with FAP overexpression displayed a worse prognosis. The FAP expression was positively associated with the infiltration levels of tumor purity, B cell, CD8 + T cell, CD4 + T cell, macrophage, neutrophil, and dendritic cell. The optimal nine immune related genes were screened between two groups (FAP high vs. low). Moreover, we identified 24 energy metabolism related genes (FAP high vs. low) and these 24 genes were highly expressed in the high FAP expression group. The FAP expression had a significant positive correlation with the expression of PD-1, CTLA4, PDL-1, and PDL-2. The FAP overexpression promoted proliferation and migration while inhibiting the apoptosis of HCC cells. The FAP overexpression promoted the progression of HCC by regulating the immunity to affect the prognosis of HCC patients, thereby serving as a poor prognostic marker for HCC patients.

Identification of VRK1 as a Novel Potential Biomarker for Prognosis and Immunotherapy in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Background

Research has indicated that VRK1 is essential for the tumor cell cycle. However, its prognostic and immunotherapeutic predictive significance has not been documented in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Methods

The TCGA, ICGC, and GSE14520 datasets were used to investigate VRK1 expression and its predictive significance of survival outcomes. The qRT-PCR and immunohistochemistry (IHC) were used to confirm the findings. The immunotherapeutic response of VRK1 was anticipated by the IMvigor210 cohort. Lastly, the association between immune infiltration, m6A modification, and functional enrichment of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) was investigated in connection to VRK1 expression.

Results

VRK1 expression was markedly elevated on both the mRNA and protein levels in HCC. In HCC patients, a high expression of VRK1 was linked to a poor prognosis. Furthermore, there was a substantial positive correlation seen between increased VRK1 expression and the response rate to anti-PD-L1 immunotherapy. Relationships between VRK1 and m6A-related genes as well as different immune cells were shown by correlation studies. Lastly, enrichment analysis revealed a tight relationship between VRK1 and important biological functions, including DNA replication, cell cycle control, and fatty acid metabolism.

Conclusion

Our research reveals the potential of VRK1 as a novel biomarker for prognosis and immunotherapy response in HCC patients.

The role of competing endogenous RNA network in the development of hepatocellular carcinoma: potential therapeutic targets

The current situation of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) management is challenging due to its high incidence, mortality, recurrence and metastasis. Recent advances in gene genetic and expression regulation have unveiled the significant role of non-coding RNA (ncRNA) in various cancers. This led to the formulation of the competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) hypothesis, which posits that both coding RNA and ncRNA, containing miRNA response elements (MRE), can share the same miRNA sequence. This results in a competitive network between ncRNAs, such as lncRNA and mRNA, allowing them to regulate each other. Extensive research has highlighted the crucial role of the ceRNA network in HCC development, impacting various cellular processes including proliferation, metastasis, cell death, angiogenesis, tumor microenvironment, organismal immunity, and chemotherapy resistance. Additionally, the ceRNA network, mediated by lncRNA or circRNA, offers potential in early diagnosis and prevention of HCC. Consequently, ceRNAs are emerging as therapeutic targets for HCC. The complexity of these gene networks aligns with the multi-target approach of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), presenting a novel perspective for TCM in combating HCC. Research is beginning to show that TCM compounds and prescriptions can affect HCC progression through the ceRNA network, inhibiting proliferation and metastasis, and inducing apoptosis. Currently, the lncRNAs TUG1, NEAT1, and CCAT1, along with their associated ceRNA networks, are among the most promising ncRNAs for HCC research. However, this field is still in its infancy, necessitating advanced technology and extensive basic research to fully understand the ceRNA network mechanisms of TCM in HCC treatment.

Decoding hepatocarcinogenesis from a noncoding RNAs perspective

Being a leading lethal malignancy worldwide, the pathophysiology of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has gained a lot of interest. Yet, underlying mechanistic basis of the liver tumorigenesis is poorly understood. The role of some coding genes and their respective translated proteins, then later on, some noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) such as microRNAs have been extensively studied in context of HCC pathophysiology; however, the implication of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) and circular RNAs (circRNAs) in HCC is indeed less investigated. As a subclass of the ncRNAs which has been elusive for long time ago, lncRNAs was found to be involved in plentiful cellular functions such as DNA, RNA, and proteins regulation. Hence, it is undisputed that lncRNAs dysregulation profoundly contributes to HCC via diverse etiologies. Accordingly, lncRNAs represent a hot research topic that requires prime focus in HCC. In this review, the authors discuss breakthrough discoveries involving lncRNAs and circRNAs dysregulation that have contributed to the contemporary concepts of HCC pathophysiology and how these concepts could be leveraged as potential novel diagnostic and prognostic HCC biomarkers. Further, this review article sheds light on future trends, thereby discussing the pathological roles of lncRNAs and circRNAs in HCC proliferation, migration, and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition. Along this line of reasoning, future recommendations of how these targets could be exploited to achieve effective HCC-related drug development is highlighted.