AUTHOR=Liao Shixin , Wang Kaili , Zhang Lulu , Shi Gaoli , Wang Zhiwei , Chen Zhenzhen , Zhu Pingping , He Qiankun 

TITLE=PRC1 and RACGAP1 are Diagnostic Biomarkers of Early HCC and PRC1 Drives Self-Renewal of Liver Cancer Stem Cells

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology

VOLUME=Volume 10 - 2022

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/cell-and-developmental-biology/articles/10.3389/fcell.2022.864051

DOI=10.3389/fcell.2022.864051

ISSN=2296-634X

ABSTRACT=Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) ranks the fourth leading cause of cancer-related deaths across the world. Due to the lack of reliable markers for early HCC, most of HCC patients are diagnosed as in middle/late stages largely. Liver cancer stem cells (CSCs), which are drivers of liver tumorigenesis, usually emerge in early HCC stage and are also termed as liver tumor initiation cells (TIC). Liver CSCs well contribute to initiation, propagation and metastasis of HCC, and also play a key role in tumor therapy. Taking advantage of online-available datasets, bioinformatical analyses and experimental confirmation, here we have screened out PRC1 and RACGAP1 as reliable markers for early HCC. PRC1 or RACGAP1 knockdown dramatically inhibited the proliferation, migration and invasion capacities of HCC cells, conferring PRC1 and RACGAP1 as predominant modulators for HCC propagation and metastasis. Moreover, the sphere formation capacity of HCC cells was impaired after PRC1 knockdown, revealing the function of PRC1 as a modulator for liver CSC self-renewal. Furthermore, the inhibitor of PRC1 had same phenotypes as PRC1 knockdown in HCC cells. Altogether, PRC1 and RACGAP1 are identified both as prognosis markers for early HCC and therapeutic targets for liver cancer and liver CSCs, adding additional layers for the early prognosis and therapy of HCC.