ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Mastermind-like transcriptional coactivator 1(MAML1) is a transcriptional coregulator of activators in various signaling pathways. High MAML1 was associated with tumorigenesis, progression, and aggressiveness in various tumors. The role of MAML in Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC), however, has not been directly addressed. The present study was to determine its association with clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis of HCC patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: MAML1 expression at protein level in human HCC and normal liver tissues was detected by immunohistochemistry analysis, which was further validated by high-throughput sequencing data TCGA dataset at mRNA level. Then, the association of MAML1 expression with clinicopathological features of HCC patients was statistically analyzed. RESULTS: Immunohistochemistry analysis found that MAML1 expression was significantly increased in HCC tissues compared with those in normal tissues (P=0.005). High MAML1 was dramatically associated with advanced clinical stage (P=0.019) and enhanced tumor invasion (P=0.019). The TCGA mRNA expression data showed that MAML1 was upregulated in HCC with young age (P=0.005). Kaplan-Meier survival curves revealed that HCC patients with high MAML1 levels had shorter survival (P=0.040). Furthermore, high MAML1 expression was an independent prognostic factor for HCC patients (HR 1.841, 95% CI 1.045-3.243; P=0.035). CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggests that MAML1 may play an important role in tumor progression of HCC. The increased expression of MAML1 may efficiently predict poor overall survival in HCC patients, and it may be a potential prognostic marker of this malignancy.
