Mitofusin-2 acts as biomarker for predicting poor prognosis in hepatitis B virus related hepatocellular carcinoma

Xiumei Wang,Wenjing Gong,Jing Sun,Xiangshuo Kong,Miaomiao Yang,Ping Sun,Youde Liu,Weiwei Zhang

doi:10.1186/s13027-018-0212-7

Xiumei Wang, Wenjing Gong + Show 6 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1186/s13027-018-0212-7

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Abstract

ObjectiveTo investigate the expression of Mitofusin-2 (MFN2) in HCC tissues and its role in the development of HCC.MethodsA total of 107 HCC specimens were collected for tissue microarray analysis and immunohistochemistry (IHC) analysis. The relationship between MFN2 expression and clinical features of patients with HCC was analyzed.ResultsExpression level of MFN2 in HCC tissues was 0.92 ± 0.78, significantly lower than that of matched paracancerous liver tissues (1.25 ± 0.75). Patients with low expression of MFN2 had significantly higher rates of cirrhosis than those with high expression of MFN2 (P = 0.049). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that HCC patients with low expression of MFN2 had a worse prognosis in overall survival than HCC patients with high expression of MFN2 (P = 0.027). Patients with high expression of MFN2 had a better prognosis in disease-free survival compared with HCC patients with low expression of MFN2 (P = 0.047). Vascular invasion and MFN2 expression were shown to be prognostic variables for overall survival in patients with HCC. Multivariate analysis showed that vascular invasion (P < 0.001) and MFN2 expression (P = 0.045) were independent prognostic factors for overall survival. Vascular invasion (P < 0.001) and MFN2 expression (P = 0.042) were independent risk factors associated with disease-free survival.ConclusionOur data revealed that MFN2 expression was decreased in HCC samples. High MFN2 expression was correlated with longer survival times in patients with HCC and served as an independent factor for better outcomes. Our study therefore provides a promising biomarker for the prognostic prediction of HCC and a potential therapeutic target for the disease.

Highlights

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignancies in the world [1,2,3]
Association of cytoplasmic MFN2 with HCC clinical features According to the median score (0.9) of MFN2 expression in HCC tissues, all enrolled HCCs were divided into MFN2 low expression group (MFN < 0.9) and MFN2 high expression group (MFN ≥ 0.9)
The results showed that HCC patients with low expression of MFN2 had a worse prognosis in overall survival than patients with high expression of MFN2 (P = 0.027)

Summary

Introduction

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignancies in the world [1,2,3]. 437,000 people are diagnosed with HCC each year worldwide, of which approximately 50% occur in China [4, 5]. The therapeutic methods of HCC have improved with advances in surgical methods, interventions, ablation, etc., the 5-year survival rate of patients is very low [6, 7]. In China, HBV infection is the most important etiology of HCC [8,9,10,11]. Half of HCC patients are infected with. The molecular mechanisms by which HBV infection induces HCC remain unclear. Understanding the mechanism of hepatitis B-related HCC development is important for early screening, clinical diagnosis and prevention of HCC

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