MIG7 is involved in vasculogenic mimicry formation rendering invasion and metastasis in hepatocellular carcinoma

Migration-inducing gene 7 (MIG7) is highly expressed and is implicated in multiple malignant tumors with vasculogenic mimicry (VM) which renders possible routes without the endothelium for invasion and metastasis. However, there are few reports in the literature describing the relationship between MIG7 expression and VM formation in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In the present study, we found a significantly positive correlation between MIG7 expression and VM in 40 HCC specimens. Three-dimensional (3D) culture showed that VM formation in the HCC cell line MHCC-97H with high metastatic potential was enhanced to a greater extent than that of MHCC-97L and Huh-7 with low and non-metastatic potential. There was no VM formation in human normal hepatocyte line L-02. Moreover, MIG7 expression was higher in MHCC-97H than in MHCC-97L and Huh-7 cells and non-detectable in L-02 cells. MIG7 knockdown in MHCC-97H cells reduced VM formation, and weakened the invasive properties accompanying the enhanced cellular adhesion. Notably, there was no significant effect of endostatin (ES), a broad-spectrum angiogenesis inhibitor applied to clinical treatment, on both MIG7 expression and VM formation. Thus, the present study presents a causal link between MIG7 expression and VM formation in HCC, suggesting a potential treatment target for invasion and metastasis.