Liang Linjun, Xu Hongfa, Dong Qichao, Qiu Lige, Lu Ligong, Yang Qing, Zhao Wei, Li Yong
Zhuhai Precision Medical Center, Zhuhai Hospital Affiliated With Jinan University (Zhuhai People's Hospital), Zhuhai, China.
Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Tumor Interventional Diagnosis and Treatment, Zhuhai People's Hospital (Zhuhai Hospital Affiliated With Jinan University), Zhuhai, China.
Front Oncol. 2022 Apr 11;12:852000. doi: 10.3389/fonc.2022.852000. eCollection 2022.
WTAP is involved in various pathological and physiological processes, but its function in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains elusive. In this study, we investigated the role of WTAP in HCC. Firstly, the mRNA and protein of WTAP were expressed highly in HCC tissue, which reflected clinicopathological characteristics of HCC patients. Then, an interactive analysis of genetic profiles and Kaplan-Meier curves was performed to show that WTAP was an independent predictor of survival of HCC patients. Meanwhile, genes co-expressed with WTAP, potential protein-protein interactions, related signaling pathways, and immune cell infiltration were identified. It was found that high WTAP expression correlated with enhanced interactions between cytokines and their receptors, cell cycle, and chemokine signaling pathways, as well as increased immune cell infiltration. At last, WTAP knockdown experiments indicate that the WTAP silencing inhibited HCC proliferation and aggressiveness. We conclude that WTAP may be a novel biomarker for prognosis and a therapeutic target for HCC.
WTAP参与多种病理和生理过程，但其在肝细胞癌（HCC）中的功能仍不清楚。在本研究中，我们调查了WTAP在HCC中的作用。首先，WTAP的mRNA和蛋白在HCC组织中高表达，这反映了HCC患者的临床病理特征。然后，进行了基因图谱和Kaplan-Meier曲线的交互分析，结果表明WTAP是HCC患者生存的独立预测因子。同时，鉴定了与WTAP共表达的基因、潜在的蛋白质-蛋白质相互作用、相关信号通路和免疫细胞浸润。研究发现，WTAP高表达与细胞因子及其受体之间增强的相互作用、细胞周期和趋化因子信号通路以及免疫细胞浸润增加相关。最后，WTAP敲低实验表明，WTAP沉默抑制了HCC的增殖和侵袭性。我们得出结论，WTAP可能是一种新的预后生物标志物和HCC的治疗靶点。
