{"title":"Etiology-based Molecular Characterization of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Reveals SQLE's Contribution to Immunosuppressive Microenvironment.","authors":"Kangkang Yu, Qisheng Zhong, Jubo Zhang, Chong Huang","doi":"10.2174/0115680096370558250514063841","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a kind of fatal cancer with a variety of risk factors. However, a pan-etiology molecular characterization of HCC has not been explored.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>The objective of this study is to explore etiology-specific features of HCC and im-prove our understanding of tumorigenesis, thereby revealing potential therapeutic targets.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>RNA-seq, genetic alteration, copy number alteration, and clinicopathological data of The Cancer Genome Atlas -Liver Hepatocellular Carcinoma cohort were downloaded and explored. Immune-related features and single-cell and spatial transcriptomic data were adopted and analyzed.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Etiology-based analyses revealed that HCC with different etiologies showed different clinical features, including gender composition, ethnic composition, clinical stage distribution, and survival. In addition, distinct genetic alterations, copy number alterations, and tumor microenvironment were observed in HCC patients with different etiologies. Significantly enhanced expression of squalene epoxidase (SQLE) was observed in viral hepatitis-related HCC and was associated with poor tumor grade and overall survival. Correlation analysis revealed a negative relationship between SQLE expression and anti-tumor immunity. Single-cell and spatial transcriptomics demonstrated that SQLE contributed to reduced T cell and NK cell infiltration while increasing macrophage and monocyte infiltration.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The current study demonstrated that HCC has etiology-specific clinical features, genetic alteration, copy number alteration, and tumor microenvironment. Overexpression of SQLE in viral hepatitis-related HCC correlate with poor clinical outcome and may contribute to reduce T cell and NK cell infiltration while increased macrophage and monocyte infiltration, which lead to immunosuppressive microenvironment and can be an actionable target.</p>","PeriodicalId":10816,"journal":{"name":"Current cancer drug targets","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3000,"publicationDate":"2025-05-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Current cancer drug targets","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.2174/0115680096370558250514063841","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"ONCOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a kind of fatal cancer with a variety of risk factors. However, a pan-etiology molecular characterization of HCC has not been explored.
Objective: The objective of this study is to explore etiology-specific features of HCC and im-prove our understanding of tumorigenesis, thereby revealing potential therapeutic targets.
Methods: RNA-seq, genetic alteration, copy number alteration, and clinicopathological data of The Cancer Genome Atlas -Liver Hepatocellular Carcinoma cohort were downloaded and explored. Immune-related features and single-cell and spatial transcriptomic data were adopted and analyzed.
Results: Etiology-based analyses revealed that HCC with different etiologies showed different clinical features, including gender composition, ethnic composition, clinical stage distribution, and survival. In addition, distinct genetic alterations, copy number alterations, and tumor microenvironment were observed in HCC patients with different etiologies. Significantly enhanced expression of squalene epoxidase (SQLE) was observed in viral hepatitis-related HCC and was associated with poor tumor grade and overall survival. Correlation analysis revealed a negative relationship between SQLE expression and anti-tumor immunity. Single-cell and spatial transcriptomics demonstrated that SQLE contributed to reduced T cell and NK cell infiltration while increasing macrophage and monocyte infiltration.
Conclusion: The current study demonstrated that HCC has etiology-specific clinical features, genetic alteration, copy number alteration, and tumor microenvironment. Overexpression of SQLE in viral hepatitis-related HCC correlate with poor clinical outcome and may contribute to reduce T cell and NK cell infiltration while increased macrophage and monocyte infiltration, which lead to immunosuppressive microenvironment and can be an actionable target.
期刊介绍：
Current Cancer Drug Targets aims to cover all the latest and outstanding developments on the medicinal chemistry, pharmacology, molecular biology, genomics and biochemistry of contemporary molecular drug targets involved in cancer, e.g. disease specific proteins, receptors, enzymes and genes.
Current Cancer Drug Targets publishes original research articles, letters, reviews / mini-reviews, drug clinical trial studies and guest edited thematic issues written by leaders in the field covering a range of current topics on drug targets involved in cancer.
As the discovery, identification, characterization and validation of novel human drug targets for anti-cancer drug discovery continues to grow; this journal has become essential reading for all pharmaceutical scientists involved in drug discovery and development.
求助内容：
应助结果提醒方式：
京公网安备 11010802042870号
