Tumor Endothelial Cells-Associated Integrin Alpha-6 as a Promising Biomarker for Early Detection and Prognosis of Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Author:

Kim Hyung Seok1ORCID,Yoon Jung Hwan2,Baek Geum Ok3ORCID,Yoon Moon Gyeong3,Han Ji Eun3,Cho Hyo Jung3ORCID,Kim Soon Sun3ORCID,Jeong Jee-Yeong1ORCID,Cheong Jae Youn3ORCID,Eun Jung Woo3

Affiliation:

1. Department of Biochemistry, College of Medicine, Kosin University, Seo-gu, Busan 49267, Republic of Korea

2. Department of Pathology, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, 222 Banpo-daero, Seocho-gu, Seoul 06591, Republic of Korea

3. Department of Gastroenterology, Ajou University School of Medicine, 164 Worldcup-ro, Yeongtong-gu, Suwon 16499, Republic of Korea

Abstract

HCC remains a lethal cancer type, with early detection being critical for improved patient outcomes. This study introduces a comprehensive methodological approach to identify the ITGA6 gene as a potential blood marker for early HCC (eHCC) detection. We initially analyzed the GSE114564 dataset encompassing various stages of liver disease, identifying 972 differentially expressed genes in HCC. A refined analysis yielded 59 genes specifically differentially expressed in early HCC, including ITGA6. Subsequent validation in multiple datasets confirmed the consistent upregulation of ITGA6 in HCC. In addition, when analyzing progression-free survival (PFS) within the entire patient cohort and overall survival (OS) specifically among patients classified as tumor grade G1, the group of patients characterized by high expression levels of ITGA6 displayed an elevated risk ratio in relation to prognosis. Further analyses demonstrated the predominant expression of ITGA6 in TECs and its enrichment in angiogenesis-related pathways. Additionally, positive correlations were found between ITGA6 expression and pro-tumorigenic immune cells, but not with anti-tumorigenic immune cells. Our study elucidates the potential of ITGA6 as a blood-based marker for HCC early detection and diagnosis and its complex interplay with the tumor microenvironment. Further research may lead to novel strategies for HCC management and patient care.

Funder

Ministry of Health and Welfare, Republic of Korea

Korean government

Publisher

MDPI AG

Subject

Cancer Research,Oncology

Reference37 articles.

1. Hepatocellular carcinoma;Vogel;Lancet,2022

2. Integrin alpha 6 is upregulated and drives hepatocellular carcinoma progression through integrin alpha6beta4 complex;Zheng;Int. J. Cancer,2022

3. Association of the VLA a Subunit with a Novel Protein;Hemler;J. Biol. Chem.,1989

4. Profiling of differentially expressed cancer-related genes in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) using human cancer cDNA arrays: Overexpression of oncogene MET correlates with tumor differentiation in ESCC;Hu;Clin. Cancer Res.,2001

5. Overexpression of SNTG2, TRAF3IP2, and ITGA6 transcripts is associated with osteoporotic vertebral fracture in elderly women from community;Wicik;Mol. Genet Genom. Med.,2020

同舟云学术

1.学者识别学者识别

2.学术分析学术分析

3.人才评估人才评估

"同舟云学术"是以全球学者为主线,采集、加工和组织学术论文而形成的新型学术文献查询和分析系统,可以对全球学者进行文献检索和人才价值评估。用户可以通过关注某些学科领域的顶尖人物而持续追踪该领域的学科进展和研究前沿。经过近期的数据扩容,当前同舟云学术共收录了国内外主流学术期刊6万余种,收集的期刊论文及会议论文总量共计约1.5亿篇,并以每天添加12000余篇中外论文的速度递增。我们也可以为用户提供个性化、定制化的学者数据。欢迎来电咨询!咨询电话:010-8811{复制后删除}0370

www.globalauthorid.com

TOP

Copyright © 2019-2024 北京同舟云网络信息技术有限公司
京公网安备11010802033243号  京ICP备18003416号-3