Role of the APEX family in hepatocellular carcinoma and its potential as a biomarker

Objective To analyze the role of APEX family in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods After expression data of HCC and normal liver tissues from public databases (TCGA and TNM plot) were collected, the expression patterns, functional networks, and potential biological pathways of the APEX family i...

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Main Authors: TANG Xixian, ZHAO Nan, CAO Dedong
Format: Article
Language:zho
Published: Editorial Office of Journal of Army Medical University 2024-11-01
Series:陆军军医大学学报
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Online Access:https://aammt.tmmu.edu.cn/html/202404140.htm
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author TANG Xixian
ZHAO Nan
CAO Dedong
author_facet TANG Xixian
ZHAO Nan
CAO Dedong
author_sort TANG Xixian
collection DOAJ
description Objective To analyze the role of APEX family in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods After expression data of HCC and normal liver tissues from public databases (TCGA and TNM plot) were collected, the expression patterns, functional networks, and potential biological pathways of the APEX family in HCC were investigated through differential expression analysis, construction of protein-protein interaction networks(PPI), and Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to assess the potential of APEX family members as diagnostic markers for HCC, and their correlation with HCC prognosis was anlyzed through survival analysis. RT-qPCR and Western blotting we performed to detect the expression of APEX1 and APEX2 at mRNA and protein levels in liver cells and HCC cells. The effect of silencing APEX1 and APEX2 in HCC cells were determined through CCK-8 assay, EdU assay, scratch healing test, and Transwell assay. Results The expression levels of the 2 members of the APEX family, APEX1 and APEX2, were significantly higher in the HCC samples than the normal liver tissues (P < 0.01). The results of ROC curve analysis on public databases showed that the AUC value of APEX1 and APEX2 in predicting HCC was 0.922 and 0.917, respectively. PPI network analysis revealed that APEX family members regulated cell cycle through various signaling pathways. Survival analysis indicated that HCC patients with high expression levels of APEX1 and APEX2 had significantly shorter overall survival than those with low levels (P < 0.05), and APEX1 and APEX2 were highly correlated with traditional tumor survival prognostic factors Ki-67 and TP53 (P < 0.001). The mRNA and protein levels of APEX1 and APEX2 were significantly higher in the liver cancer cells than the normal liver cells (P < 0.05). In addition, silencing APEX1 and APEX2 resulted in notably reduced proliferation, migration, and invasion abilities of HCC cells (P < 0.05). Conclusion APEX1 and APEX2 can serve as potential biomarkers for HCC diagnosis and prognosis assessment, and their involvement in the regulation of HCC proliferation and metastasis provides new strategies and targets for the early diagnosis and individualized treatment of HCC.
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spelling doaj-art-4c972a8d8a7a4f08bc0e25f69e15ecc92024-11-29T00:15:41ZzhoEditorial Office of Journal of Army Medical University陆军军医大学学报2097-09272024-11-0146222517252810.16016/j.2097-0927.202404140Role of the APEX family in hepatocellular carcinoma and its potential as a biomarkerTANG Xixian0ZHAO Nan1CAO Dedong2Cancer Center, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei Province, 430061, ChinaCancer Center, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei Province, 430061, ChinaCancer Center, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei Province, 430061, ChinaObjective To analyze the role of APEX family in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods After expression data of HCC and normal liver tissues from public databases (TCGA and TNM plot) were collected, the expression patterns, functional networks, and potential biological pathways of the APEX family in HCC were investigated through differential expression analysis, construction of protein-protein interaction networks(PPI), and Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to assess the potential of APEX family members as diagnostic markers for HCC, and their correlation with HCC prognosis was anlyzed through survival analysis. RT-qPCR and Western blotting we performed to detect the expression of APEX1 and APEX2 at mRNA and protein levels in liver cells and HCC cells. The effect of silencing APEX1 and APEX2 in HCC cells were determined through CCK-8 assay, EdU assay, scratch healing test, and Transwell assay. Results The expression levels of the 2 members of the APEX family, APEX1 and APEX2, were significantly higher in the HCC samples than the normal liver tissues (P < 0.01). The results of ROC curve analysis on public databases showed that the AUC value of APEX1 and APEX2 in predicting HCC was 0.922 and 0.917, respectively. PPI network analysis revealed that APEX family members regulated cell cycle through various signaling pathways. Survival analysis indicated that HCC patients with high expression levels of APEX1 and APEX2 had significantly shorter overall survival than those with low levels (P < 0.05), and APEX1 and APEX2 were highly correlated with traditional tumor survival prognostic factors Ki-67 and TP53 (P < 0.001). The mRNA and protein levels of APEX1 and APEX2 were significantly higher in the liver cancer cells than the normal liver cells (P < 0.05). In addition, silencing APEX1 and APEX2 resulted in notably reduced proliferation, migration, and invasion abilities of HCC cells (P < 0.05). Conclusion APEX1 and APEX2 can serve as potential biomarkers for HCC diagnosis and prognosis assessment, and their involvement in the regulation of HCC proliferation and metastasis provides new strategies and targets for the early diagnosis and individualized treatment of HCC. https://aammt.tmmu.edu.cn/html/202404140.htmhepatocellular carcinomaapex familydiagnostic biomarkerstherapeutic targetsbioinformatics analysis
spellingShingle TANG Xixian
ZHAO Nan
CAO Dedong
Role of the APEX family in hepatocellular carcinoma and its potential as a biomarker
陆军军医大学学报
hepatocellular carcinoma
apex family
diagnostic biomarkers
therapeutic targets
bioinformatics analysis
title Role of the APEX family in hepatocellular carcinoma and its potential as a biomarker
title_full Role of the APEX family in hepatocellular carcinoma and its potential as a biomarker
title_fullStr Role of the APEX family in hepatocellular carcinoma and its potential as a biomarker
title_full_unstemmed Role of the APEX family in hepatocellular carcinoma and its potential as a biomarker
title_short Role of the APEX family in hepatocellular carcinoma and its potential as a biomarker
title_sort role of the apex family in hepatocellular carcinoma and its potential as a biomarker
topic hepatocellular carcinoma
apex family
diagnostic biomarkers
therapeutic targets
bioinformatics analysis
url https://aammt.tmmu.edu.cn/html/202404140.htm
work_keys_str_mv AT tangxixian roleoftheapexfamilyinhepatocellularcarcinomaanditspotentialasabiomarker
AT zhaonan roleoftheapexfamilyinhepatocellularcarcinomaanditspotentialasabiomarker
AT caodedong roleoftheapexfamilyinhepatocellularcarcinomaanditspotentialasabiomarker