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BTB/POZ domain‐containing protein 7: Epithelial‐mesenchymal transition promoter and prognostic biomarker of hepatocellular carcinoma
Author(s) -
Tao YiMing,
Huang JinLin,
Zeng Shan,
Zhang Sai,
Fan XueGong,
Wang ZhiMing,
Yang HuiXiang,
Yuan XiaoHua,
Wang Pu,
Wu Fan,
Luo Jia,
Zeng DeYu,
Shen Hong
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
hepatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.488
H-Index - 361
eISSN - 1527-3350
pISSN - 0270-9139
DOI - 10.1002/hep.26268
Subject(s) - hepatocellular carcinoma , epithelial–mesenchymal transition , cancer research , metastasis , angiogenesis , hepatology , medicine , surgical oncology , biomarker , pathology , cancer , oncology , biology , biochemistry
Epithelial‐mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a critical step in the metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). BTB/POZ domain‐containing protein 7 (BTBD7) regulates EMT‐associated proteins implicated in HCC progression. However, the role(s) of BTBD7 in HCC have not been identified. Using highly metastatic HCC HCCLM3 cells, immortalized L02 hepatocytes, metastatic HCC animal models, and three independent cohorts of HCC patient specimens, we aimed to determine the involvement of BTBD7 in HCC metastasis. We show that BTBD7 messenger RNA and protein was highly expressed in HCC cells and tumor tissues, with such expression being associated with: enhanced cell motility, venous invasion, and poor prognosis. BTBD7 promoted HCC angiogenesis and metastasis in vitro and in vivo , but did not influence cell proliferation or colony formation. BTBD7 enhancement of HCC invasion and EMT phenotype occurred through activation of a RhoC‐Rock2‐FAK‐signaling pathway, resulting in matrix metalloproteinase‐2/9 production and microvessel formation. Applying a predictive risk score model, Cox regression analysis revealed that high BTBD7 expression integrated with high microvessel density was a powerful independent predictive factor of HCC clinical outcome. Conclusion : The present study identifies BTBD7 as a novel candidate prognostic factor and a potential therapeutic target of HCC. (H EPATOLOGY 2013; 57:2326–2337)