Li Miao, Guo Qianwen, Shi Qian, Rao Yanzhi, Dong Yixin, Chen Fangjie, Qi Xun
Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, China Medical University, Shenyang, 110122, China.
Key Laboratory of Diagnostic Imaging and Interventional Radiology of Liaoning Province, Department of Radiology, The First Hospital of China Medical University, 155 Nanjing Bei Street, Shenyang, 110001, China.
Discov Oncol. 2023 Sep 21;14(1):175. doi: 10.1007/s12672-023-00786-0.
Human Hox genes (Homeobox) play a crucial role in embryonic development and cancer. The HOXC10 gene, a member of the HOX family, has been reported abnormally expressed in several cancers. However, the association between HOXC10 and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains to be elucidated. In the present study, tissue microarray cohort data showed that high levels of HOXC10 expression predicted a poor survival in HCC patients. Meanwhile, HOXC10 was significantly upregulated in the Huh7 cell line compared with the well differentiated cell line HepG2 and human normal liver cells. Functionally, silencing HOXC10 in Huh7 cells inhibited cell proliferation, increased apoptosis, and inhibited invasion and migration of HCC cells. HOXC10 overexpression in HepG2 cells increased cell proliferation, decreased apoptosis, and increased invasion and migration of HCC cells. In the HepG2 xenograft models, HOXC10 increased the tumor volume and weight compared with control. Mechanistically, the m6A modification of HOXC10 by METTL3 enhanced its expression by enhancing its mRNA stability. Both the in vitro and in vivo results showed that overexpressed HOXC10 activated the PTEN/AKT/mTOR pathway. In summary, the findings highlight the importance of HOXC10 in the regulation of HCC progression. HOXC10 is potentially a future therapeutic target for HCC treatment.
人类同源框基因(Hox基因)在胚胎发育和癌症中起着至关重要的作用。HOXC10基因是HOX家族的成员之一,已有报道称其在多种癌症中异常表达。然而,HOXC10与肝细胞癌(HCC)之间的关联仍有待阐明。在本研究中,组织芯片队列数据显示,HOXC10高表达预示着HCC患者的生存期较差。同时,与高分化细胞系HepG2和人正常肝细胞相比,Huh7细胞系中HOXC10显著上调。在功能上,沉默Huh7细胞中的HOXC10可抑制细胞增殖、增加细胞凋亡,并抑制HCC细胞的侵袭和迁移。在HepG2细胞中过表达HOXC10可增加细胞增殖、减少细胞凋亡,并增加HCC细胞的侵袭和迁移。在HepG2异种移植模型中,与对照组相比,HOXC10增加了肿瘤体积和重量。机制上,METTL3对HOXC10的m6A修饰通过增强其mRNA稳定性来增强其表达。体外和体内结果均表明,过表达的HOXC10激活了PTEN/AKT/mTOR通路。总之,这些发现突出了HOXC10在HCC进展调控中的重要性。HOXC10可能是未来HCC治疗的一个潜在靶点。