The Material Heterogeneity Effect on the Local Resistance of Pultruded GFRP Columns.

Pultruded GFRP (glass fiber-reinforced polymer) materials are widely used in structural engineering because of their lightweight, corrosion immunity, and electromagnetic transparency. However, the design of load-bearing components facing substantial compressive stresses, e.g., columns, must be more stringent than steel structures due to excessive deformability, material heterogeneity, and vulnerability to stress concentration. This manuscript investigates the failure performance of locally produced GFRP materials, focusing on the material heterogeneity effect on the mechanical resistance of a support joint of a pultruded tubular GFRP column. This experimental campaign employs relatively short rectangular profile fragments to isolate the support behavior and verify a simplified numerical finite element model, which neglects the nonlinearity of GFRP material. This work determines the material failure mechanisms behind the mechanical performance of pultruded profiles subjected to longitudinal compression for various column lengths.

ACSL4 reprograms fatty acid metabolism in hepatocellular carcinoma via c-Myc/SREBP1 pathway.

Lipid metabolic reprogramming plays a pivotal role in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) development, but the underlying mechanisms are incompletely characterized. Long chain acyl CoA synthetase 4 (ACSL4), a member of acyl-CoA synthetases (ACS) family, has been identified as a novel marker of alpha-fetoprotein-high subtype HCC and as an oncogene. Here, we identified a new function of ACSL4 in HCC lipid metabolism. ACSL4 can modulate de novo lipogenesis by accumulating intracellular triglycerides, cholesterols, and lipid droplets in HCC. Mechanistically, ACSL4 upregulates the master lipogenesis regulator sterol regulatory element binding protein 1 (SREBP1) and its downstream lipogenic enzymes in HCC cells via c-Myc. Moreover, SREBP1 is crucial for ACSL4-mediated regulation of lipogenesis as well as HCC cell proliferation and metastasis, as SREBP1 overexpression rescues lipogenic deficiency and decreased oncogenic capabilities associated with ACSL4 suppression in vitro and in vivo. Clinically, our data showed that the expression of ACSL4 was positively correlated with that of SREBP1 in HCC patients, and the combinational biomarkers showed strong predictive value for HCC. Together, our findings uncover a new mechanism by which ACSL4 modulates aberrant lipid metabolism and promotes the progression of HCC.

ACSL4 promotes hepatocellular carcinoma progression via c-Myc stability mediated by ERK/FBW7/c-Myc axis.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a highly heterogeneous, multigene-driven malignant tumor. Long chain acyl-CoA synthetase 4 (ACSL4), an enzyme has pivotal roles in arachidonic acid (AA) metabolism. However, its function and the underlying molecular mechanisms in HCC are still not fully elucidated. Here, we identified ACSL4 as a novel marker for AFP high subtype HCC through transcriptome profiling. ACSL4 was frequently upregulated in HCC samples and associated with poor prognosis. Functionally, ACSL4 knockdown resulted in decreased cell growth, whereas ectopic ACSL4 expression facilitated tumor formation in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, ACSL4 stabilized the oncoprotein c-Myc through ubiquitin-proteasome system in an ERK/FBW7-dependent manner. Cell growth ability mediated by ACSL4 elevation was partly attenuated by c-Myc depletion using siRNA or its inhibitor 10058-F4. In contrast, the effects of ACSL4 silencing were partially reversed by c-Myc overexpression via FBW7 knockdown. Clinically, ACSL4 expression was positively correlated with c-Myc in HCC. In conclusion, ACSL4 is a novel marker for AFP high subtype HCC. Our data uncovered a new mechanism by which ACSL4 promotes HCC progression via c-Myc stability mediated by ERK/FBW7/c-Myc axis and could be a valuable prognostic biomarker and a potential therapeutic target in HCC.

Targeting Mybbp1a suppresses HCC progression via inhibiting IGF1/AKT pathway by CpG islands hypo-methylation dependent promotion of IGFBP5.

BACKGROUND: Myb-binding protein 1A (Mybbp1a) is a nucleolar protein that can regulate rRNA metabolism, the stress response and carcinogenesis. However, the function of Mybbp1a in the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is unclear. We aimed to determine the role of Mybbp1a in HCC and the underlying mechanism. METHODS: We investigated the function of Mybbp1a in HCC cell models and the xenograft mouse model. The relationship between Mybbp1a and IGFBP5 was found through expression profile chip. The molecular mechanism of Mybbp1a regulating IGFBP5 was proved through CO-IP, CHIP, Bisulfite Sequencing and Pyrosequencing. FINDINGS: In this study, we observed that Mybbp1a was overexpressed in HCC tissues and associated with the poor prognosis of HCC patients. Suppression of Mybbp1a led to a reduction in the proliferation and migration ability of HCC cells through inhibiting the IGF1/AKT signaling pathway. Further study found that Mybbp1a could form a complex with DNMT1 and induce aberrant hyper-methylation of CpG islands of IGFBP5, which inhibits secretion of IGFBP5 and then activates IGF1/AKT signaling pathway. INTERPRETATION: These findings extend our understanding of the function of Mybbp1a in the progression of HCC. The newly identified Mybbp1a may provide a novel biomarker for developing potential therapeutic targets of HCC. FUND: Science Technology Department of Zhejiang Province (No. 2015C03034), National Health and Family Planning Commission of China (No. 2016138643), Innovative Research Groups of National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 81721091), Major program of National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 91542205).

Cystic lymphangioma of pancreas: A rare case report and review of the literature.

RATIONALE: Lymphangiomas are benign lymphatic malformations that mostly occur in the neck and axillary regions. Abdominal lymphangioma is a rare type of this tumor, and pancreatic lymphangioma accounts for less than 1% of all lymphangiomas. In this report, we firstly reveal the application of ultrasound-guided puncture drainage combined with cell morphological examination for the diagnosis of pancreatic lymphangioma. PATIENT CONCERNS: A 35-year-old male patient was admitted to our hospital with recurrent abdominal pain and general weakness for 1 week. From abdominal ultrasound (US) showed that a large cystic lesion occupied the abdomen, about 30.0cm×25.0cm, leading to suspicion of lymphatic cyst. Computed tomography (CT) was performed for further diagnosis and staging. DIAGNOSES: According to pathological findings in combination with immunohistochemical features, pancreatic lymphangioma was made. INTERVENTIONS: To relieve symptoms of discomfort in the patient, distal pancreatectomy and splenectomy was carried out 1 week after the CT scan. OUTCOMES: The patient recovered to normal status within 19 days after surgery. LESSONS: The abdominal cystic lymphangiomas are difficult to be differential diagnosed from other cystic lesions. And the origin of the tumor is also hard to be detected before operation. We should combine image and pathological examination to clarify a diagnosis. Although lymphangiomas are benign tumours, they can encroach on adjacent organs and grow to an enormous size and that, resection of these invaded organs may be required for a complete excision.

H2A.Z regulates tumorigenesis, metastasis and sensitivity to cisplatin in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma.

Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) is a fatal, malignant tumor of the liver; effective diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets for ICC have not been identified yet. High expression of H2A histone family member Z (H2A.Z) is a high-risk factor for poor prognosis in patients with breast cancer and primary hepatocellular cancer. However, the significance of H2A.Z and its expression in ICC remains unknown. The present study demonstrated that H2A.Z is overexpressed in ICC and expression of H2A.Z correlated with poor prognosis in patients with ICC. H2A.Z regulated cell proliferation in vitro and in vivo via H2A.Z/S-phase kinase-associated protein 2/p27/p21 signaling. Inhibition of H2A.Z reduced cell proliferation and induced apoptosis in ICC. In addition, downregulation of H2AZ reduced tumor metastasis by repressing epithelial-mesenchymal transition and enhanced the antitumor effects of cisplatin in the treatment of ICC. Overall, H2A.Z promoted cell proliferation and epithelial-mesenchymal transition in ICC, suggesting that H2A.Z may be a novel biomarker and therapeutic target for ICC.

Over Expression of Long Non-Coding RNA PANDA Promotes Hepatocellular Carcinoma by Inhibiting Senescence Associated Inflammatory Factor IL8.

It has been reported that long non-coding RNA PANDA was disregulated in varieties types of tumor, but its expression level and biological role in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains contradictory. We detected PANDA expression in two independent cohorts (48 HCC patients following liver transplantation and 84 HCC patients following liver resection), and found that PANDA was down-regulated in HCC. Thereafter we explored its function in cancer biology by inversing its low expression. Surprisingly, overexpression of PANDA promoted HCC proliferation and carcinogenesis in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, PANDA repressed transcriptional activity of senescence associated inflammatory factor IL8, which leaded to inhibition of cellular senescence. Therefore, our research help to better understand the complex role of PANDA in HCC, and suggest more thoughtful strategies should be applied before it can be treated as a potential therapeutic target.

KCTD11 inhibits growth and metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma through activating Hippo signaling.

A lack of effective prognostic biomarkers and molecular targets is a serious problem in hepatocellular carcinoma. KCTD11, reported as a tumor suppressor, are still not well understood. In this study, KCTD11 was found low-expressed in HCC tissues and cell lines. The HCC patients with low expression of KCTD11 suggested shorter overall survival. We found KCTD11 inhibiting cell proliferation in vitro and tumor growth in vivo, by activating p21 and repressing cycle related proteins. KCTD11 also inhibited cell adhesion by decreasing CTGF and CLDN1. We found CTGF binding COL3A1 in HCCLM3, which might lead to reduction of COL3A1 expression. KCTD11 also inhibited cell migration and invasion in HCC, by repressing MMPs and EMT. We found the tumor suppression function of KCTD11 was at least partly through activating Hippo pathway in HCC. Base on the enhanced Hippo pathway, KCTD11 could activate p21 by stabilizing p53 or promoting the MST1/ GSK3ß/p21 signaling in HCC. Overall, these results suggest that KCTD11 works as a tumor suppressor and owns prognostic and therapeutic potentials in HCC.

Expression and Critical Role of Interleukin Enhancer Binding Factor 2 in Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Interleukin enhancer binding factor 2 (ILF2), a transcription factor, regulates cell growth by inhibiting the stabilization of mRNA. Currently, its role has gained recognition as a factor in the tumorigenic process. However, until now, little has been known about the detailed role ILF2 plays in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In this study, we investigated the expression levels of ILF2 in HCC tissue with Western blot and immunohistochemical assays. To examine the effect of ILF2 on liver cancer cell growth and apoptosis, small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) targeting ILF2 were recombined to create lentiviral overexpression vectors. Our results showed higher expression levels of ILF2 mRNA and ILF2 protein in HCC tissue compared with matched peritumoral tissue. Expression of ILF2 may regulate cell growth and apoptosis in liver cancer cells via regulation of B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2), Bcl-2 related ovarian killer (Bok), Bcl-2-associated X protein (BAX), and cellular inhibitor of apoptosis 1 (cIAP1). Moreover, we inoculated nude mice with liver cancer cells to investigate the effect of ILF2 on tumorigenesis in vivo. As expected, a rapid growth was observed in cancer cells inoculated with a lentiviral vector coding Flag-ILF2 (Lenti-ILF2) compared with the control cells. Hence, these results promote a better understanding of ILF2's potential role as a therapeutic target in HCC.

TAZ regulates cell proliferation and sensitivity to vitamin D3 in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma.

The transcriptional coactivator with PDZ binding motif (TAZ) is reported as one of the nuclear effectors of Hippo-related pathways. TAZ is found overexpressed in many primary tumors and could regulate many biological processes. However, little is known about the role of TAZ in Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma (ICC). In this study, we found that TAZ is expressed more in ICC tissues than in peritumoral tissue, and a robust expression of TAZ is correlated with a lower overall survival rate of ICC patients after hepatectomy. TAZ knockdown results in an increase in cell apoptosis, a promotion of cell-cycle arrest and a decrease in tumor size and weight in vivo through an increased expression of p53. Vitamin D3 can also inhibit cell proliferation by promoting p53 expression in ICC cells. A reduction in TAZ can also enhance the sensitivity of tumor cells to vitamin D by regulating the p53/CYP24A1 pathway. In conclusion, TAZ is associated with the proliferation and drug-resistance of ICC cells, and could be a novel therapeutic target for the treatment of ICC.

Downregulation of Peptidylprolyl isomerase A promotes cell death and enhances doxorubicin-induced apoptosis in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Peptidylprolyl isomerase A (PPIA) is a peptidyl-prolyl cis-trans isomerase that is known to play a critical role in the development of many human cancers. However, the precise biological function of PPIA in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains largely unclear. In this study, lentiviral overexpression vectors and small interfering RNA knockdown methods were employed to investigate the biological effects of PPIA in HCC. PPIA levels in HCC tissues and peritumoral tissues were detected by real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR), Western blotting, and immunohistochemistry. Our results indicate that PPIA levels were significantly higher in the HCC tissues compared to the matched peritumoral tissues. Moreover, PPIA expression was significantly associated with tumor size in these tissues. Interestingly, serum PPIA (sPPIA) levels were significantly higher in healthy controls compared to the HCC patients. Knockdown or overexpression of PPIA was shown to downregulate and upregulate cell growth, respectively. Moreover, PPIA siRNA knockdown appears to promote doxorubicin-induced apoptosis in HCC cells, altering the expression of downstream apoptotic factors. In summary, our results indicate that PPIA may play a pivotal role in HCC by regulating cell growth and could serve as a novel marker and therapeutic molecular target for HCC patients.

Downregulation of HDAC6 promotes angiogenesis in hepatocellular carcinoma cells and predicts poor prognosis in liver transplantation patients.

HDAC6, a member of histone deacetylation family, is reported to play critical roles in transcription regulation, cell cycle progression, and cancer development. However, the expression status and significance of HDAC6 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is still controversial, and little is known about the role of HDAC6 in HCC angiogenesis and the correlation between expression of HDAC6 and prognosis of HCC patients with liver transplantation (LT). Our experiments showed HDAC6 was significantly downregulated in HCC tissues (P = 0.025), and low expression of HDAC6 was found to be closely associated with recurrence (P = 0.006), and could predict poor recurrence-free survival (P = 0.047) for HCC patients with LT. Moreover, knockdown of HDAC6 could promote HUVEC migration, proliferation, and tube formation in vitro, and suppress HCC cell apoptosis, and promote HCC cell proliferation in hypoxia. Remarkably, knockdown of HDAC6 could significantly up-regulate the expression of HIF-1α and VEGFA in vivo and in vitro, which facilitated HIF-1α mediated angiogenesis in HCC. Further study showed that HDAC6 was down-regulated under hypoxia in a time dependent manner. Hence, the present findings suggested a role for suppression of HDAC6 in promoting the angiogenesis in HCC by HIF-1α/VEGFA axis. HDAC6 may serve as a recurrence predictive factor for HCC after LT and pharmacological or genetic activation of HDAC6 could be a novel anti-angiogenesis approach for HCC therapy.

Hypoxia-inducible MiR-182 promotes angiogenesis by targeting RASA1 in hepatocellular carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Hypoxia is a common feature of solid tumors, including HCC. And hypoxia has been reported to play an important role in HCC progression. However, the potential mechanism of miRNAs in hypoxia mediating HCC progression still remains unclear. METHODS: The HCC cells were cultured in the atmosphere of 1 % oxygen to induce hypoxia. The microRNA microarray was employed to search for the hypoxia-inducible miRNAs. RT-PCR, western blot and immunohistochemistry were used to detect the RNA and protein levels. HUVEC were applied to explore the angiogenesis level. RESULTS: We found that miR-182 was upregulated in the hypoxia-based microarray. We then revealed that miR-182 was also significantly increased in the HCC tissues compared to the corresponding normal tissues. In vitro capilliary tube formation assays showed that the miR-182 promoted angiogenesis. RASA1 was demonstrated as the direct target of miR-182. In addition, the suppression of RASA1 phenocopied the pro-angiogenesis effects of miR-182. Besides, RASA1 was also decreased in the hypoxia HCC cells while the inhibition of miR-182 partially restored the level of RASA1. CONCLUSIONS: Our data showed that hypoxia regulated the expression of miR-182 and RASA1 to promote HCC angiogenesis.

Long non-coding RNA PVT1 is associated with tumor progression and predicts recurrence in hepatocellular carcinoma patients.

PVT1, which maps to chromosome 8q24, is a copy number amplification-associated long non-coding RNA. Overexpression of PVT1 is a powerful predictor of tumor progression and patient survival in a diverse range of cancer types. However, the association between PVT1 and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains unclear. The aim of the present study was to examine the expression pattern of PVT1, and its clinical significance in HCC. Between 2003 and 2012, reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction was used to determine the expression levels of PVT1 in two independent cohorts: Cohort one, 58 HCC resection samples; and cohort 2, 214 HCC transplant samples. Additionally, the correlation between PVT1 expression levels and clinical parameters and outcomes was analyzed. The relative expression levels of PVT1 were significantly higher in cancerous tissues compared with the corresponding non-cancerous tissues (cohort one, P=0.0016; cohort two, P=0.0274). Furthermore, overexpression of PVT1 was associated with a higher serum α-fetoprotein expression level (P=0.011) and a higher recurrence rate (P=0.004). Kaplan-Meier analysis indicated that the patients with high PVT1 expression exhibited poor recurrence-free survival (P=0.021), and multivariate analysis demonstrated that high levels of PVT1 expression are an independent predictor for HCC recurrence (P=0.042; hazard ratio, 1.653). Thus, the high expression levels of PVT1 in HCC may serve as a novel biomarker for predicting tumor recurrence in HCC patients, and as a potential therapeutic target.

Identification of bile biomarkers of biliary tract cancer through a liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry-based metabolomic method.

The incidence and mortality rate of biliary tract cancer have been increasing worldwide; however, its diagnosis and prognosis have not improved in recent years. A novel approach, termed 'metabolomics', may have the potential to be developed as an effective diagnostic tool. The present study prospectively obtained bile samples from 115 individuals, including 32 patients with biliary tract cancer, 61 patients with benign biliary tract diseases and 22 normal controls. A liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS)­based approach was used to investigate the differences in bile samples between the three groups, followed by multivariate statistical analysis, which included partial least squares projection to latent structures with discriminant analysis (PLS­DA) and orthogonal projection to latent structures with discriminant analysis (OPLS­DA). The metabolomic 2D score plot and 3D plot revealed clear separation between the cancer, benign and normal control groups by PLS­DA. To further address the significant difficulties in clinically differentiating between biliary tract cancer and benign biliary tract diseases, OPLS­DA was performed to distinguish between the two disease groups and to select potential biomarkers. The cancer and benign groups were well differentiated. The metabolic analysis revealed significantly lower levels of lysophosphatidylcholine, phenylalanine, 2­octenoylcarnitine, tryptophan and significantly higher levels of taurine­ and glycine­conjugated bile acids in the bile from patients with biliary tract cancer compared with those in the bile from patients with benign biliary tract disease. The present study suggested that an LC/MS­based metabolomic investigation provides a potent and promising approach for discriminating biliary tract cancer from benign biliary tract diseases and the identified specific metabolites may offer potential as novel biomarkers for the early detection of biliary tract cancer.

γ-H2AX promotes hepatocellular carcinoma angiogenesis via EGFR/HIF-1α/VEGF pathways under hypoxic condition.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most deadly cancers. Using mRNA microarray analysis, we found that H2AX decreased under hypoxic conditions. Hypoxia is an important physiological and pathological stress that induces H2AX phosphorylation (γ-H2AX), but the regulatory mechanism of γ-H2AX remains elusive in the progress of HCC. We report here that increased γ-H2AX expression in HCC is associated with tumor size, vascular invasion, TNM stage and reduced survival rate after liver transplantation (LT). γ-H2AX knockdown was able to effectively inhibit VEGF expression in vitro and tumorigenicity and angiogenesis of HCC in vivo. The mechanism of γ-H2AX on the angiogenic activity of HCC might go through EGFR/HIF-1α/VEGF pathways under hypoxic conditions. Combined γ-H2AX, HIF-1α and EGFR has better prognostic value for HCC after LT. This study suggests that γ-H2AX is associated with angiogenesis of HCC and γ-H2AX or a combination of γ-H2AX/EGFR/HIF-1α is a novel marker in the prognosis of HCC after LT and a potential therapeutic target.

MiR-126-3p suppresses tumor metastasis and angiogenesis of hepatocellular carcinoma by targeting LRP6 and PIK3R2.

BACKGROUND: The deregulation of microRNAs has been reported to play a pivotal role in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). MiR-126-3p has been reported to be associated with poor prognosis in HCC. However the underlying mechanism of miR-126-3p in HCC remains unclear. METHODS: The expression levels of miR-126-3p in HCC tissues and cells were detected by RT-PCR. Transwell assay and capillary tube formation assay were applied to assess the metastasis and angiogenesis in vitro. Nude mice subcutaneous tumor model was used to perform in vivo study. Dual- luciferase reporter assay was conducted to confirm the direct binding of miR-126-3p and target genes. The changes of biomarker protein levels were examined by western blot and Immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: We observed that the miR-126-3p expression levels in HCC tissues and cells were significantly down-regulated. Through gain- and loss- of function studies, we showed that miR-126-3p dramatically inhibited HCC cells from migrating and invading extracellular matrix gel and suppressed capillary tube formation of endothelial cells in vitro. Furthermore, overexpression of miR-126-3p significantly reduced the volume of tumor and microvessel density in vivo. LRP6 and PIK3R2 were identified as targets of miR-126-3p. Silencing LRP6 and PIK3R2 had similar effects of miR-126-3p restoration on metastasis and angiogenesis individually in HCC cells. Furthermore, the miR-126-3p level was inversely correlated with LRP6 and PIK3R2 in HCC tissues. In addition, the rescue experiments indicated that the metastasis and angiogenesis functions of miR-126-3p were mediated by LRP6 and PIK3R2. CONCLUSION: Our results demonstrates that deregulation of miR-126-3p contributes to metastasis and angiogenesis in HCC. The restoration of miR-126-3p expression may be a promising strategy for HCC therapy.

BAG3 and HIF-1 α coexpression detected by immunohistochemistry correlated with prognosis in hepatocellular carcinoma after liver transplantation.

OBJECTIVE: The objective is to determine the effects of BAG3 and HIF-1 α expression on the prognosis of HCC patients after liver transplantation. METHODS: Samples from 31 patients with HCC receiving liver transplantation were collected for this study. The immunohistochemistry was used to detect the expression of BAG3 and HIF-1 α of HCC samples. RESULTS: According to the immunohistochemistry results, BAG3 and HIF-1 α staining were significantly associated with tumor TNM stage (P = 0.004, P = 0.012). A significant association between high BAG3/HIF-1 α levels and a shorter overall survival was detected, so as the combined BAG3 and HIF-1 α analysis. CONCLUSION: The results suggested that the expression level of BAG3 and HIF-1 α is efficient prognostic parameters in patients with HCC after liver transplantation.

Long non-coding RNA HOTAIR promotes cell migration and invasion via down-regulation of RNA binding motif protein 38 in hepatocellular carcinoma cells.

Long non-coding RNA HOTAIR exerts regulatory functions in various biological processes in cancer cells, such as proliferation, apoptosis, mobility, and invasion. We previously found that HOX transcript antisense RNA (HOTAIR) is a negative prognostic factor and exhibits oncogenic activity in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In this study, we aimed to investigate the role and molecular mechanism of HOTAIR in promoting HCC cell migration and invasion. Firstly, we profiled its gene expression pattern by microarray analysis of HOTAIR loss in Bel-7402 HCC cell line. The results showed that 129 genes were significantly down-regulated, while 167 genes were significantly up-regulated (fold change >2, p < 0.05). Bioinformatics analysis indicated that RNA binding proteins were involved in this biological process. HOTAIR suppression using RNAi strategy with HepG2 and Bel-7402 cells increased the mRNA and protein expression levels of RNA binding motif protein 38 (RBM38). Moreover, the expression levels of RBM38 in HCC specimens were significantly lower than paired adjacent noncancerous tissues. In addition, knockdown of HOTAIR resulted in a decrease of cell migration and invasion, which could be specifically rescued by down-regulation of RBM38. Taken together, HOTAIR could promote migration and invasion of HCC cells by inhibiting RBM38, which indicated critical roles of HOTAIR and RBM38 in HCC progression.

BAG3 regulates epithelial-mesenchymal transition and angiogenesis in human hepatocellular carcinoma.

Bcl2-associated athanogene 3 (BAG3) protein is a co-chaperone of heat-shock protein (Hsp) 70 and may regulate major physiological and pathophysiological processes. However, few reports have examined the role of BAG3 in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In this study, we show that BAG3 regulates epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and angiogenesis in HCC. BAG3 was overexpressed in HCC tissues and cell lines. BAG3 knockdown resulted in reduction in migration and invasion of HCC cells, which was linked to reversion of EMT by increasing E-cadherin expression and decreasing N-cadherin, vimentin and slug expression, as well as suppressing matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP-2) expression. In a xenograft tumorigenicity model, BAG3 knockdown effectively inhibited tumor growth and metastasis through reduction in CD34 and VEGF expression and reversal of the EMT pathway. In conclusion, BAG3 is associated with the invasiveness and angiogenesis in HCC, and the BAG3 gene may be a novel therapeutic approach against HCC.