Hepatocellular Carcinoma-associated microRNAs Induced by Hepatoma-derived Growth Factor Stimulation

Background/Aim: Hepatoma-derived growth factor (HDGF) is involved in the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The present study assessed the epigenomic changes in hepatoma-derived cells through HDGF stimulation. Materials and Methods: We used two hepatoma-derived cell lines (HepG2 and SK-Hep1) and searched for microRNAs whose expression commonly changed in response to HDGF administration. We further explored a genetic database to investigate the association of the candidate microRNAs with the survival of HCC patients. Results: Despite both HepG2 and SK-Hep1 cells being categorized as hepatoma-derived cells, the microRNA profile differed between these two lines. However, HepG2 and SK-Hep1 cells shared 30 up-regulated and 2 down-regulated microRNAs. Of these, miR-6072 and miR-3137 were significantly associated with a poor prognosis in HCC patients. Conclusion: We identified two candidate microRNAs whose expression increased in response to HDGF stimulation. Both these molecules were associated with a poor prognosis of HCC patients.