Protein profiles reveal MSH6/MSH2 as a potential biomarker for hepatocellular carcinoma with microvascular invasion

AimMicrovascular invasion (MVI) is an independent risk factor for postoperative recurrence and metastasis in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the specific protein expression profiles that differentiate HCC with MVI from those without MVI remain unclear.MethodsThe profiles of proteins in early-stage HCC tissues and normal liver tissues were characterized by quantitative proteomics techniques. Immunohistochemical (IHC) staining was undertaken on tissue microarrays from 80 HCC patients to assess the expression of MSH2 and MSH6. Cell counting, colony formation, migration, and invasion assays were carried out in vitro.ResultsWe identified 5164 proteins in both HCC tissues and adjacent normal liver tissues. Compared to HCC without MVI, 148 upregulated proteins and 97 downregulated proteins were found in HCC with MVI. Particularly noteworthy was the remarkable upregulation of MSH6/MSH2 among these dysregulated proteins in HCC with MVI. Further validation through bioinformatics prediction and IHC confirmed the elevated expression of MSH6/MSH2, which correlated with aggressive disease characteristics and poor prognosis. Receiver operating characteristic curve analyses revealed a substantial area under the curve of 0.761 (specificity 71.79%, sensitivity 73.17%) for the combined use of MSH6/MSH2. Knockdown of MSH6/MSH2 significantly inhibited HCC cell proliferation and invasion in vitro.ConclusionsOur study establishes MSH6 or MSH2 as an oncogene that is prominently overexpressed during HCC progression, which provides new targets for HCC with MVI.

Automated summary

In this study, the differential protein expression profiles associated with MVI in HCC were identified using quantitative proteomics techniques. The upregulation of MSH6 and MSH2 were found to be notably associated with MVI in HCC, and further validation confirmed their correlation with aggressive disease characteristics and poor prognosis. Combined use of MSH6 and MSH2 showed a high sensitivity and specificity for HCC diagnosis. Knockdown of MSH6 and MSH2 significantly inhibited HCC cell proliferation and invasion.