Overexpression of platelet-derived growth factor receptor alpha promotes tumor progression and indicates poor prognosis in hepatocellular carcinoma

Dysregulation of platelet-derived growth factor receptor alpha (PDGFR alpha) has been documented in various cancers. However, its role in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains unknown. We and others have examined that upregulation of PDGFR alpha might be involved in hepatocarcinogenesis. Here, we report that PDGFR alpha plays a critical role in HCC progression and prognosis. The expression of PDGFR alpha was markedly higher in human HCC compared to adjacent liver tissues. Although PDGFRA mRNA was decreased in HCC, PDGF-A mRNA was dramatically increased in HCC. Overexpression of PDGFR alpha was strongly correlated with microvessel density (MVD) of HCC (p<0.05), as well as macroscopic vascular invasion of the tumors (p<0.05). HCC patients with high PDGFR alpha expression displayed a shorter overall survival and a higher recurrence rate than those with low PDGFR alpha expression (p<0.05, respectively). Additionally, stable overexpression of PDGFR alpha in hepatoma cells promoted cell proliferation, migration, invasion and epithelial-mesenchymal transition in vitro. Similarly, an in vivo assay showed that PDGFR alpha overexpression in hepatoma cells exhibited remarkably tumorigenic potential in tumor size and weight in vivo, which displayed markedly elevated MVD than controls. Thus, our study provided the evidence that PDGFR alpha may serve as a candidate prognostic marker and a novel therapeutic target for HCC.