The clinical significance and biological function of large tumour suppressor 2 in hepatocellular carcinoma

Objectives Present evidence has suggested that large tumour suppressor 2 ( LATS 2) is abnormally expressed in most human cancer. However, the clinical and prognostic value in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is still unknown. Materials and methods Large tumour suppressor 2 mRNA and protein expression levels in HCC tissues and cell lines were detected by qRT ‐ PCR , immunohistochemistry or Western blot. The correlation between LATS 2 expression and clinicopathological factors was analysed through immunohistochemistry. The function of LATS 2 on HCC cell growth and mobility was explored through MTT , colony formation, Transwell migration and invasion assays. The molecular mechanism of LATS 2 was screened and confirmed by qRT ‐ PCR and Western blot. Results and conclusion In this study, LATS 2 mRNA and protein expressions were decreased in HCC tissues and cell lines compared with normal hepatic tissues and hepatic cell line. Low LATS 2 expression was oppositely corrected with tumour stage, vascular invasion and metastasis. The univariate and multivariate analyses suggested that low LATS 2 expression was an independent poor prognostic factor for HCC patients. The in vitro experiments showed that LATS 2 regulated HCC cells migration and invasion, but had no effect on HCC cells proliferation. Meanwhile, LATS 2 modulated metastasis‐associated genes expression including E‐cadherin, vimentin, snail, slug, MMP 2 and MMP 9. In conclusion, LATS 2 is a prognostic biomarker and a tumour metastasis suppressor in HCC.