Mesoderm/mesenchyme homeobox l may promote tumor progression in human hepatocellular carcinoma.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The clinical response rate for molecularly targeted medications is limited despite significant advancements in molecularly targeted therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Therefore, it is necessary to find new and robust therapeutic targets for the treatment of HCC. Recent research has shown that mesoderm/mesenchyme homeobox gene 1 (Meox1) is closely associated with cancer progression. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical relevance as well as biological function of Meox1 in HCC. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Meox1 protein expression level was identified through immunohistochemistry (IHC) examination of pathological tissues from 25 HCC patients. The aim of the analysis was to investigate the relationship between clinicopathological traits and Meox1 expression. Biological function assays of Meox1 in HCC, including proliferation, colony formation, migration, and invasion, were performed with Huh7 and Hep3B cells. RESULTS: In this study, Meox1 expression in HCC tissues was significantly higher (p < 0.05) compared to paracancerous tissues. Especially in HCC tissues of patients with cirrhosis, the level of Meox1 expression was significantly elevated when compared to HCC tissues of patients without cirrhosis (p < 0.05). High Meox1 expression was significantly associated with tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) stage (p < 0.05) and the Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) stage (p < 0.05). Moreover, Meox1 silencing suppressed the proliferation, colony formation, migration, and invasion of Huh7 and Hep3B cells. CONCLUSIONS: Our data reveal that Meox1 may play a crucial role in the development of HCC, and given the function of Meox1 in proliferation and metastasis, targeting Meox1 may offer a promising approach for combined and adjuvant therapeutics of HCC.