Abstract
BackgroundThe liver microenvironment plays a key role in the progression and metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Gene expression profiling of non-cancerous hepatic tissues obtained from patients with metastatic HCC exhibit a unique immune response signature, including upregulation of CCN3. However, the role of CCN3 secreted from non-cancerous hepatic tissues in the progression of HCC remains unclear.MethodsUsing tissue microarrays, we examined CCN3 in non-cancerous hepatic tissues of patients with HCC and correlated expression with clinical and pathological features. In addition, CCN3 localization and mechanisms of HCC progression were investigated in tissues and cell lines. Finally, correlations between CCN3 and cirrhosis were explored in patients.ResultsCCN3 was primarily localized to hepatic cells of non-cancerous hepatic tissues and was associated with vascular invasion and poor prognosis in patients with HCC. CCN3 expression in non-cancerous hepatic tissues also correlated with the degree of liver fibrosis. Compared with conditioned media from wild-type LO2 cells, conditioned media from hepatic cell line LO2 activated by LX2 (aLO2-CM) induced CCN3 expression and HCC cell proliferation and metastasis. Further, aLO2-CM activated MAPK signaling and epithelial-mesenchymal transition in HCC cells. Finally, CCN3 was inversely related to cirrhosis in the prognosis of HCC and negatively regulated hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) in vitro with downregulation of α-SMA, TGF-β, and collagens.ConclusionsCCN3 was secreted from hepatic cells activated by HSCs and increased MAPK signaling, EMT, proliferation and metastasis of HCC cells. CCN3 was also inversely related to cirrhosis, regulating HSCs through a negative feedback loop.
Highlights
The liver microenvironment plays a key role in the progression and metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)
In the cDNA microarray-based gene expression profiles, we found that CCN3 was significantly upregulated in HCC patients with intrahepatic venous metastasis than patients without intrahepatic venous metastasis (0.27 ± 0.39 vs. -0.46 ± 0.39 p = 0.0014, Fig. 1a)
Patients with HCC and high expression of CCN3 in non-cancerous hepatic tissues exhibited significantly lower overall survival (OS) (p = 0.013) and higher to recurrence rates (TRR) (p = 0.021) (Fig. 1d). These data demonstrate that high expression of CCN3 in non-cancerous hepatic tissues correlates with metastasis and poor prognosis in patients with HCC
Summary
The liver microenvironment plays a key role in the progression and metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Gene expression profiling of non-cancerous hepatic tissues obtained from patients with metastatic HCC exhibit a unique immune response signature, including upregulation of CCN3. The role of CCN3 secreted from non-cancerous hepatic tissues in the progression of HCC remains unclear. Most patients with HCC have a history of cirrhosis. The tumor microenvironment plays a key role in HCC progression and metastasis [3]. HCC develops from chronically damaged hepatic tissue, which is surrounded by non-cancerous tissue containing stromal cells and cytokines. HCC exhibits a unique stromal signature associated with metastasis and recurrence [4]. Budhu et al [5] previously explored the unique expression profiles of non-cancerous hepatic tissues obtained from patients with venous metastatic HCC. We performed cDNA microarray-based gene expression profiling and found significant upregulation of CCN3, a matricellular protein encoded by the nephroblastoma overexpressed
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