Yu Tao, Li Huiming, Shen Guijia, Wu Qifang
Department of General Surgery, Jiujiang University Affiliated Hospital, Jiujiang University Clinical Medical College, Jiujiang, China.
Traditional Chinese medicine hospital of Lushan, Jiujiang, China.
Ann Biol Clin (Paris). 2024 Apr 19;82(1):93-102. doi: 10.1684/abc.2024.1877.
Long non-coding RNA-HEIH (lncRNA-HEIH) is a potential biomarker for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but exosomal lncRNA-HEIH in patients with hepatitis B virus-associated HCC (B-HCC) is unclear. This study aimed to investigate the expression of exosomal lncRNA-HEIH in B-HCC patients and explore its clinical significance. We collected blood samples from 60 B-HCC patients, 60 non-hepatitis virus-associated HCC (N-HCC) patients, and 50 healthy volunteers. Exosomal lncRNA-HEIH levels were measured by real-time PCR and analyzed for their correlation with patient prognosis using Kaplan-Meier analysis. Multivariate COX regression analysis was conducted to identify factors affecting patient outcomes. The effects of lncRNA-HEIH on carcinogenesis were also investigated by constructing a Huh7 cell line stably expressing the hepatitis B virus. In the B-HCC group, there was a positive correlation between hepatitis B virus and exosomal lncRNA-HEIH. The 5-year survival rate of the exosomal lncRNA-HEIH high-expression group was significantly lower than that of the low-expression group in the B-HCC group, but not in the N-HCC group. Exosomal lncRNA-HEIH level was related to the TNM stage, lymph node metastasis and AFP. Exosomal lncRNA-HEIH level was independent risk factors for poor prognosis in B-HCC patients. In Huh7-HBV cells, lncRNA-HEIH level was significantly higher than in control, and the migration capacity of Huh7-HBV cells decreased significantly after down-regulating lncRNA-HEIH. Our findings suggest that exosomal lncRNA-HEIH is abnormally expressed and closely related to poor prognosis in B-HCC patients, indicating its potential as a diagnostic and therapeutic target for HBV-associated HCC.
长链非编码RNA-HEIH（lncRNA-HEIH）是肝细胞癌（HCC）患者的一种潜在生物标志物，但乙型肝炎病毒相关性HCC（B-HCC）患者中外泌体lncRNA-HEIH的情况尚不清楚。本研究旨在调查B-HCC患者中外泌体lncRNA-HEIH的表达情况，并探讨其临床意义。我们收集了60例B-HCC患者、60例非肝炎病毒相关性HCC（N-HCC）患者和50名健康志愿者的血液样本。通过实时PCR检测外泌体lncRNA-HEIH水平，并使用Kaplan-Meier分析其与患者预后的相关性。进行多变量COX回归分析以确定影响患者预后的因素。还通过构建稳定表达乙型肝炎病毒的Huh7细胞系来研究lncRNA-HEIH对致癌作用的影响。在B-HCC组中，乙型肝炎病毒与外泌体lncRNA-HEIH之间存在正相关。B-HCC组中外泌体lncRNA-HEIH高表达组的5年生存率显著低于低表达组，但在N-HCC组中并非如此。外泌体lncRNA-HEIH水平与TNM分期、淋巴结转移和甲胎蛋白有关。外泌体lncRNA-HEIH水平是B-HCC患者预后不良的独立危险因素。在Huh7-HBV细胞中，lncRNA-HEIH水平显著高于对照组，下调lncRNA-HEIH后，Huh7-HBV细胞的迁移能力显著降低。我们的研究结果表明，外泌体lncRNA-HEIH在B-HCC患者中异常表达且与预后不良密切相关，表明其作为HBV相关性HCC诊断和治疗靶点的潜力。
