Primary liver crab is nan 3rd starring origin of cancer-related deaths, of which hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) accounts for astir 90% of each liver crab cases. Given that nan improvement of HCC is simply a multifactorial and multistage process, its expanding incidence underscores nan request to understand its molecular mechanisms and place imaginable biomarkers and therapeutic targets.
Previous studies person implicated chromosome 1 unfastened reference framework 122 (C1orf122), a protein-coding gene, successful nan pathogenesis of aggregate cancers, including HCC. Overexpression of C1orf122 is associated pinch HCC progression and mediocre prognosis; however, nan mechanisms underlying its tumorigenic domiciled successful HCC stay elusive.
A caller study published successful nan Genes & Diseases diary by researchers from Harbin Medical University, Bishan Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, and Chongqing Medical University elucidates nan molecular mechanisms underlying nan tumorigenic domiciled of C1orf122 in HCC.
A pan-cancer study utilizing nan TCGA database and consequent experimental validation revealed that nan look of C1orf122 was higher successful HCC tissues compared to normal tissues, and that HCC patients pinch C1orf122 overexpression had a worse wide endurance index, suggesting that C1orf122 contributes to HCC progression and whitethorn service arsenic a caller independent prognostic marker for HCC.
Knockdown of C1orf122 importantly reduced nan viability and proliferation of HepG2 and HuH-7 cells, whereas overexpression of C1orf122 mediated nan other effect. The authors observed that C1orf122 promotes compartment maturation by inhibiting apoptosis, arsenic evidenced by a diminution successful pro-apoptotic markers (Bax and cleaved-caspase-3), and an upregulation of anti-apoptotic markers specified arsenic full Bcl-2 protein, upon C1orf122 overexpression. Furthermore, accrued look of epithelial-to-mesenchymal modulation (EMT) markers (N-Cadherin, Vimentin, Slug, and Twist1) upon C1orf122 overexpression establishes that C1orf122 exerts its oncogenic effects successful HCC by enhancing compartment proliferation, suppressing apoptosis, and facilitating compartment migration.
Mechanistically, C1orf122 interacts pinch SRPK1 and mediates its phosphorylation astatine nan Thr601 tract via mTOR kinase, which subsequently activates nan PI3K/AKT/GSK3β signaling pathway, resulting successful HCC onset and progression.
In conclusion, nan findings of this study elucidate nan tumorigenic domiciled of C1orf122 successful HCC and show that C1orf122 promotes HCC via nan SRPK1-PI3K/AKT/GSK3β axis, highlighting its imaginable arsenic a diagnostic and therapeutic target for HCC.
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Journal reference:
Cai, J., et al. (2025). Identifying C1orf122 arsenic a imaginable HCC exacerbated biomarker dependently of SRPK1 regulates PI3K/AKT/GSK3β signaling pathway. Genes & Diseases. doi.org/10.1016/j.gendis.2025.101721