STRN3 promotes tumour growth in hepatocellular carcinoma by inhibiting the hippo pathway

J Cell Mol Med. 2024 Mar;28(6):e18147. doi: 10.1111/jcmm.18147.

Abstract

HCC is a globally high-incidence malignant tumour, and its pathogenesis is still unclear. Recently, STRN3 has been found to be elevated in various tumours, but its expression and biological functions in HCC have not been studied. In the study, clinical correlation analysis was performed on 371 liver cancer patients from TCGA database and liver cancer tissues and normal tissues from the GEO database. qRT-PCR and western blotting were used to detect relevant proteins in cells, and CCK8 and colony formation experiments were performed to analyse cell proliferation ability. Transwell and wound healing experiments were performed to detect cell invasion ability, and flow cytometry was used to detect cell apoptosis. Single-cell sequencing data and multiple immunofluorescence were analysed for the expression abundance and distribution of certain proteins. Immunohistochemistry was used to assess the expression of STRN3 in patients' tumour and adjacent non-cancerous tissues. The results indicated STRN3 was highly expressed in liver tumour tissues and was closely associated with poor prognosis. Knockdown of STRN3 could significantly inhibit cell proliferation and migration ability. At the same time, we found that STRN3 could inhibit the Hippo pathway and promote the entry of YAP protein into the nucleus. Our study first found that STRN3 could promote tumour growth by inhibiting the Hippo pathway. The study of STRN3 can promote the understanding and treatment of the occurrence and development of HCC.

Keywords: STRN3; TCGA database; YAP; hepatocellular carcinoma; hippo pathway.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Autoantigens
  • Calmodulin-Binding Proteins / metabolism
  • Carcinoma, Hepatocellular* / metabolism
  • Carcinoma, Hepatocellular* / pathology
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Cell Movement / genetics
  • Cell Proliferation / genetics
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic
  • Hippo Signaling Pathway* / genetics
  • Humans
  • Liver Neoplasms* / pathology
  • Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / genetics
  • Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / metabolism
  • Signal Transduction

Substances

  • Autoantigens
  • Calmodulin-Binding Proteins
  • Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases
  • STRN3 protein, human