PURPOSE

This work investigated the effect of FBXO5 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and the mechanism of action of arbutin in its inhibition.

METHODS

FBXO5 mRNA and protein expressions in the tumor were assessed using TCGA, ICGC and HPA databases. Cox regression analysis and Kaplan-Meier survival curves were employed to assess the impact of FBXO5 on the survival outcomes of patients with HCC. Gene Ontology (GO), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG), Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA), and Gene Set Variation Analysis (GSVA) were used to investigate the biological function associated with FBXO5-related genes. The role of FBXO5 as oncogene and the inhibitory mechanism of arbutin were confirmed through western blotting (WB), reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), and in vitro experiments such as scratch wound-healing migration assay, plate clone formation assay, and transwell migration assay.

RESULTS

Patients with high FBXO5 expression showed shorted overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), disease-specific survival (DSS), and disease-free survival (DFS). FBXO5 was identified as an independent prognostic risk factor associated with the cell cycle. In vitro investigations indicated that FBXO5 facilitated HCC progression by modulating the cell cycle, while arbutin suppressed FBXO5 expression and regulated cell cycle dynamics.

CONCLUSION

FBXO5 is a potential diagnostic and prognostic biomarker for HCC, and arbutin may exert anticancer effects through the suppression of FBXO5 expression.