Abstract
Worldwide, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most malignant cancers with poor prognosis. The structural maintenance of chromosomes (SMC) gene family has been shown to play important roles in human cancers. Nevertheless, the role of SMC members in HCC is not well-understood. In this study, we comprehensively explored the role of the SMC family in HCC using a series of bioinformatic analysis tools. Studies have demonstrated that the mRNA expression levels of SMC1A, SMC1B, SMC2, SMC4, and SMC6 are significantly overexpressed in HCC, and the protein levels of SMC1A, SMC2, SMC3, SMC4, SMC5, and SMC6 are similarly elevated. Moreover, HCC patients with high SMC2 and SMC4 expression levels exhibit poor survival. Using KEGG and GO analyses, we analyzed the enrichment of gene expression in the biological functions and pathways of the SMC family in HCC. Immune infiltration analysis revealed that the expression of the SMC family is closely associated with B cells, CD4+ T cells, CD8+ T cells, macrophages, neutrophils, and DCs. In conclusion, our findings will enhance a more thorough understanding of the SMC family in HCC progression and provide new directions for the diagnosis and treatment of HCC in the future.
Highlights
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), a primary cancer of the liver, is the most frequent malignant tumor globally [1]
Using a series of bioinformatic analysis tools, such as Tumor Immune Estimation Resource (TIMER) [27], Human Protein Atlas project (HPA) [28], and Gene expression profiling analysis (GEPIA) [29], we identified the expression of structural maintenance of chromosomes (SMC) family members in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and Kaplan-Meier plotter was used to evaluate the prognostic value of SMC family members in HCC
The levels of SMC1A, SMC1B, SMC2, SMC3, SMC4, and SMC6 mRNA expression were highly upregulated in HCC tissues compared to normal liver tissues, SMC5 showed no statistical difference (Figure 1)
Summary
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), a primary cancer of the liver, is the most frequent malignant tumor globally [1]. As one of the most aggressive malignant tumors, the effect of surgical treatment is limited and only applicable to a small number of patients with early HCC [4,5,6]. Advanced treatments such as trans-arterial chemoembolization (TACE) have little effect on improving the survival time of patients with HCC [7]. There are six members of the SMC family: SMC1-SMC6, and which there are two variants of SMC1, namely SMC1A and SMC1B [9]. Six family members form the core of three
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