GCNT3 regulated MUC13 to promote the development of hepatocellular carcinoma through the GSK3β/β-catenin pathway

BACKGROUND

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Extensive research is currently directed at identifying novel targets for its diagnosis and treatment.

AIMS

We investigated the biological functions and clinical significance of mucin-type N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase 3 (GCNT3) in HCC.

METHODS

Variations in the mRNA expression of GCNT3 were examined in normal and HCC tissues. Cell function assays and animal models characterized the effects of GCNT3 on the proliferation, invasion, and migration abilities of HCC cells. Western blot and immunofluorescence analyses were performed to explore further the specific mechanisms whereby GCNT3 affects HCC progression.

RESULTS

There is a strong correlation between GCNT3 overexpression and tumor formation and metastasis in vivo and in vitro. GCNT3 acted as a regulator of the synthesis of mucin-type O-glycans by interacting with mucin 13 (MUC13) to regulate its expression levels, activating the GSK3β/β-catenin signaling pathway. The activation of GSK3β/β-catenin signaling by GCNT3 was mitigated by MUC13 knockdown. In clinical HCC specimens, GCNT3 expression was upregulated in HCC tissues compared to non-tumor tissues. Further, there was a significant correlation between high GCNT3 expression and poor patient survival.

CONCLUSIONS

GCNT3 regulated tumor progression in HCC through the MUC13/GSK3-β/β-catenin signaling pathway.

Effect of Microvascular Invasion on the Prognosis in Hepatocellular Carcinoma and Analysis of Related Risk Factors: A Two-Center Study

Objective: Microvascular invasion is considered to initiate intrahepatic metastasis and postoperative recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We aimed to analyze the effect of MVI on the prognosis in HCC and identify related risk factors for microvascular invasion (MVI).

Methods: The clinical data of 553 HCC patients who underwent liver surgery at Qingdao University from January 2014 to December 2018 and 89 patients at Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital treated between October 2014 and October 2019 were collected retrospectively. We explored the impact of MVI on the prognosis of patients with HCC using Kaplan-Meier analysis. We conducted logistic regression analysis to identify variables significantly related to MVI.

Results: Pathological examination confirmed the presence of MVI in 265 patients (41.3%). Six factors independently correlated with MVI were incorporated into the multivariate logistic regression analysis: Edmondson-Steiner grade [odds ratio (OR) = 3.244, 95%CI: 2.243–4.692; p < 0.001], liver capsule invasion (OR = 1.755; 95%CI: 1.215–2.535; p = 0.003), bile duct tumor thrombi (OR = 20.926; 95%CI: 2.552–171.553; p = 0.005), α-fetoprotein (> 400 vs. < 400 ng/ml; OR = 1.530; 95%CI: 1.017–2.303; p = 0.041), tumor size (OR = 1.095; 95%CI: 1.027–1.166; p = 0.005), and neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (OR = 1.086; 95%CI: 1.016–1.162; p = 0.015). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) was 0.743 (95%CI: 0.704–0.781; p < 0.001), indicating that our logistic regression model had significant clinical usefulness.

Conclusions: We analyzed the effect of MVI on the prognosis in HCC and evaluated the risk factors for MVI, which could be helpful in making decisions regarding patients with a high risk of recurrence.