Downregulation Contributes to Aggressive Hepatocellular Carcinoma via Mechanism Mediated by Cyclin4-Dependent Kinase-1/STAT3 Pathway.

BACKGROUND

Hepcidin encoded by is vital to regulating proliferation, metastasis, and migration. Hepcidin is secreted specifically by the liver. This study sought to examine the functional role of hepcidin in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

METHODS

Data in the Cancer Genome Atlas database was used to analyze expression as it relates to HCC prognosis. We then used the 5-ethynyl-20-deoxyuridine (EdU) incorporation assay, transwell assay, and flow cytometric analysis, respectively, to assess proliferation, migration, and the cell cycle. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was used to find pathways affected by .

RESULTS

expression was lower in hepatocellular carcinoma samples compared with adjacent normal tissue controls. Low expression was linked with a higher rate of metastasis and poor disease-free status. Downregulation of induced SMMC-7721 and HepG-2 cell proliferation and promoted their migration. could affect the cell cycle pathway and Western blotting, confirming that reduced levels activated cyclin-dependent kinase-1/stat 3 pathway.

CONCLUSION

Our findings indicate that functions as a tumor suppressor gene. The role of in cellular proliferation and metastasis is related to cell cycle checkpoints. could be considered as a diagnostic biomarker and targeted therapy in HCC.