Department of Anatomy, Keimyung University School of Medicine, Daegu 42601, Republic of Korea.
Department of Surgery, Keimyung University School of Medicine, Daegu 42601, Republic of Korea.
Medicina (Kaunas). 2024 Apr 26;60(5):716. doi: 10.3390/medicina60050716.
: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignancies worldwide and is caused by multiple factors. To explore novel targets for HCC treatment, we comprehensively analyzed the expression of HomeoboxB13 (HOXB13) and its role in HCC. : The clinical significance of HCC was investigated using open gene expression databases, such as TIMER, UALCAN, KM, OSlihc, and LinkedOmics, and immunohistochemistry analysis. We also analyzed cell invasion and migration in HCC cell lines transfected with HOXB13-siRNA and their association with MMP9, E2F1, and MEIS1. : HOXB13 expression was higher in fibrolamellar carcinoma than in other histological subtypes. Its expression was associated with lymph node metastasis, histological stage, and tumor grade. It was positively correlated with immune cell infiltration of B cells (R = 0.246), macrophages (R = 0.182), myeloid dendritic cells (R = 0.247), neutrophils (R = 0.117), and CD4+ T cells (R = 0.258) and negatively correlated with immune cell infiltration of CD8+ T cells (R = -0.107). A positive correlation was observed between HOXB13, MMP9 (R = 0.176), E2F1 (R = 0.241), and MEIS1 (R = 0.189) expression ( < 0.001). The expression level of HOXB13 was significantly downregulated in both HepG2 and PLC/PFR/5 cell lines transfected with HOXB13-siRNA compared to that in cells transfected with NC siRNA ( < 0.05). Additionally, HOXB13 significantly affected cell viability and wound healing. : HOXB13 overexpression may lead to poor prognosis in patients with HCC. Additional in vivo studies are required to improve our understanding of the biological role and the exact mechanism of action of HOXB13 in HCC.
肝细胞癌（HCC）是全球最常见的恶性肿瘤之一，由多种因素引起。为了探索 HCC 治疗的新靶点，我们全面分析了同源盒 B13（HOXB13）的表达及其在 HCC 中的作用。
我们使用开放的基因表达数据库（如 TIMER、UALCAN、KM、OSlihc 和 LinkedOmics）和免疫组织化学分析来研究 HCC 的临床意义。我们还分析了转染 HOXB13-siRNA 的 HCC 细胞系中的细胞侵袭和迁移及其与 MMP9、E2F1 和 MEIS1 的关系。
HOXB13 在纤维板层癌中的表达高于其他组织学亚型。其表达与淋巴结转移、组织学分期和肿瘤分级有关。它与 B 细胞（R = 0.246）、巨噬细胞（R = 0.182）、髓样树突状细胞（R = 0.247）、中性粒细胞（R = 0.117）和 CD4+T 细胞（R = 0.258）的免疫细胞浸润呈正相关，与 CD8+T 细胞的免疫细胞浸润呈负相关（R = -0.107）。HOXB13 与 MMP9（R = 0.176）、E2F1（R = 0.241）和 MEIS1（R = 0.189）的表达呈正相关（<0.001）。与转染 NC siRNA 的细胞相比，转染 HOXB13-siRNA 的 HepG2 和 PLC/PFR/5 细胞系中 HOXB13 的表达水平均显著下调（<0.05）。此外，HOXB13 显著影响细胞活力和伤口愈合。
HOXB13 过表达可能导致 HCC 患者预后不良。需要进行更多的体内研究，以提高我们对 HOXB13 在 HCC 中的生物学作用和确切作用机制的理解。
