Ayoub Aya M, Mahmoud Elham Abdel-Badiea, Mohamed Rania Hassan, Tolba Mahmoud M, Hassan Nahla S, Ghazy Mohamed, ElHefnawi Mahmoud
Biochemistry Department, Faculty of Science, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt.
Clinical Research and Pharmaceutical Division, Egypt Ministry of Health and Population, Cairo, Egypt.
Funct Integr Genomics. 2025 Jun 5;25(1):120. doi: 10.1007/s10142-025-01615-z.
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most prevalent and lethal malignancies worldwide, with limited effective therapeutic options. Identifying novel targets is crucial for improving treatment strategies. In this study, we integrated bioinformatics and experimental approaches to uncover key regulatory genes in HCC. BIRC5 (survivin) emerged as a central hub gene, playing a pivotal role in apoptosis inhibition and cell cycle regulation. Using CRISPR-Cas9-mediated knockout in HepG2 cells, we demonstrated that BIRC5 depletion significantly suppressed cell proliferation and migration while inducing apoptosis. Furthermore, BIRC5 knockout led to cell cycle arrest, cytokinesis defects, and autophagy activation, highlighting its essential role in tumor maintenance. Functional assays, including colony formation, wound healing, flow cytometry, gene expression profiling, and transmission electron microscopy, validated these findings. Notably, the downregulation of key oncogenic pathways, including PI3K and AURKA, underscores the critical function of BIRC5 in sustaining HCC cell survival and proliferation. These results position BIRC5 as a promising therapeutic target, with the potential to disrupt tumor growth and metastasis. Targeting BIRC5 could offer a novel strategy for improving HCC treatment outcomes, paving the way for more effective therapeutic interventions against this aggressive cancer.
肝细胞癌(HCC)是全球最常见且致命的恶性肿瘤之一,有效的治疗选择有限。识别新的靶点对于改善治疗策略至关重要。在本研究中,我们整合了生物信息学和实验方法来揭示HCC中的关键调控基因。BIRC5(存活素)作为一个核心枢纽基因出现,在抑制细胞凋亡和调节细胞周期中起关键作用。通过在HepG2细胞中使用CRISPR-Cas9介导的基因敲除,我们证明BIRC5缺失显著抑制细胞增殖和迁移,同时诱导细胞凋亡。此外,BIRC5基因敲除导致细胞周期停滞、胞质分裂缺陷和自噬激活,突出了其在肿瘤维持中的重要作用。包括集落形成、伤口愈合、流式细胞术、基因表达谱分析和透射电子显微镜在内的功能分析验证了这些发现。值得注意的是,关键致癌途径(包括PI3K和AURKA)的下调强调了BIRC5在维持HCC细胞存活和增殖中的关键功能。这些结果将BIRC5定位为一个有前景的治疗靶点,有可能破坏肿瘤生长和转移。靶向BIRC5可为改善HCC治疗结果提供一种新策略,为针对这种侵袭性癌症的更有效治疗干预铺平道路。
Funct Integr Genomics. 2025-6-5
J Clin Lab Anal. 2022-12
Funct Integr Genomics. 2024-9-18
Funct Integr Genomics. 2024-7-12
Funct Integr Genomics. 2023-5-26
Funct Integr Genomics. 2023-4-15
Signal Transduct Target Ther. 2023-3-1
Curr Oncol. 2023-2-6