Cell Function Experiments and Bioinformatics Analysis Jointly Revealed the Antineoplastic Effect of Lumican on Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common cancers worldwide, and immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI)-based therapies are now an integral part of systemic treatment. In this study, we identify potential biomarker for HCC and further investigate its functional significance using both bioinformatic and experimental methods. Differential analysis and weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) were conducted, identifying lumican (LUM) as the target gene. Our results showed a significant downregulation of LUM in HCC. LUM expression was also associated with the progression-free interval and the infiltration of B cells, neutrophils, and myeloid dendritic cells. Enrichment analysis highlighted the involvement of LUM in focal adhesion and the extracellular matrix. In addition, overexpression of LUM suppressed proliferation, migration and invasion in hepatoma cell lines while promoting cell apoptosis. Our results demonstrate the importance of LUM in HCC development and may help to elucidate the underlying mechanisms and biological processes influenced by LUM.

Supplementary information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s43657-024-00182-w.