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Upregulation of RUNX1 Suppresses Proliferation and Migration through Repressing VEGFA Expression in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

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Pathology & Oncology Research

Abstract

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common type of primary liver cancer, and occurs in people with chronic liver diseases. Current treatment methods include surgery, transplant, and chemotherapy. Our study demonstrates runt-related transcription factor 1 (RUNX1) as a novel molecule in the initiation and development of HCC, and the role of its interaction with vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA) in HCC. We showed the suppressive role of RUNX1 in the proliferation and migration of hepatocytes. In addition, the repressor RUNX1 functioned as a transcription factor on the promoter of VEGFA to inhibit the expression of VEGFA. Study in the HCC cells demonstrated that the suppression of HCC proliferation and migration was masked in the presence of overexpressed VEGFA. Introduction of RUNX1 into HCC mice model significantly limited the tumor growth. In summary, our study demonstrated that RUNX1 functions as a repressor in the HCC and this suppressive function was dependent on its effect on VEGFA.

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Data Availability

All data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this published article.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Medical Technology, Jiangsu Collge of Nursing, Huaian City, 223005, Jiangsu Province, China

    Chao Liu, Bai Xue, Bolin Liu & Jing Li

  2. Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, The Second Affiliation Hospital of Kunming Medical University, 243 Dianmian Avenue, Wuhua District, Kunming City, 650101, Yunnan Province, China

    Dingwei Xu & Jie Huang

Authors
  1. Chao Liu
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  2. Dingwei Xu
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  3. Bai Xue
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  4. Bolin Liu
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  5. Jing Li
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  6. Jie Huang
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Contributions

CL and JH conceived and designed the experiments, DWX and BX analyzed and interpreted the results of the experiments, JL and BLL performed the experiments.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jie Huang.

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Liu, C., Xu, D., Xue, B. et al. Upregulation of RUNX1 Suppresses Proliferation and Migration through Repressing VEGFA Expression in Hepatocellular Carcinoma. Pathol. Oncol. Res. 26, 1301–1311 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12253-019-00694-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12253-019-00694-1

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