SKA1 overexpression is associated with poor prognosis in hepatocellular carcinoma
Yibing Chen,
Jingjing Zhao,
Zhihui Jiao,
Weiwei Wang,
Dandan Wang,
Xiaohe Yu,
Zhiyong Shi,
Naijian Ge,
Qiuzhong Pan,
Jianchuan Xia,
Wancheng Niu,
Ruihua Zhao,
Xiaofei Zhang,
Wei Du
Affiliations
Yibing Chen
Genetic and Prenatal Diagnosis Center, Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, First Affiliated Hospital, Zhengzhou University
Jingjing Zhao
State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Department of Biotherapy, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center
Zhihui Jiao
Genetic and Prenatal Diagnosis Center, Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, First Affiliated Hospital, Zhengzhou University
Weiwei Wang
Department of Pathology, First Affiliated Hospital, Zhengzhou University
Dandan Wang
Key Laboratory for Biotech-Drugs Ministry of Health, Key Laboratory for Modern Medicine and Technology of Shandong Province, Key Laboratory for Rare & Uncommon Diseases of Shandong Province, Back and Neck Pain Hospital, Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences
Xiaohe Yu
Department of Radioactive Intervention, Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital, Second Military Medical University
Zhiyong Shi
Department of Radioactive Intervention, Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital, Second Military Medical University
Naijian Ge
Department of Radioactive Intervention, Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital, Second Military Medical University
Qiuzhong Pan
State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Department of Biotherapy, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center
Jianchuan Xia
State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Department of Biotherapy, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center
Wancheng Niu
Department of General Surgery, Huaihai Hospital, Xuzhou Medical University
Ruihua Zhao
Department of Medical Oncology, First Affiliated Hospital, Zhengzhou University
Xiaofei Zhang
Department of Medical Oncology, First Affiliated Hospital, Zhengzhou University
Wei Du
Department of Neurosurgery, First Affiliated Hospital, Zhengzhou University
Abstract Background SKA1, an important mitosis protein, has been indicated in the initiation and progression of several malignancies. However, its clinical significance in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remain to be elucidated. Methods mRNA expression of SKA1 was examined in 126 HCC and paired non-neoplastic tissues using real-time PCR and validated in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. SKA1 protein expression was detected using immunohistochemistry in the 126 HCC tissues and its associations with clinicopathological parameters and prognosis were analyzed. Hierarchical cluster analysis and gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) were performed in selected Gene Expression Omnibus data sets. Results SKA1 mRNA expression was significantly elevated in HCC tissues from both local hospital and TCGA database. Immunohistochemistry revealed that increased SKA1 expression was present in 65 of the 126 cases and was significantly associated with higher serum alpha-fetoprotein concentration, larger tumor size and higher TNM stage. Patients with positive SKA1 expression showed significantly worse overall and relapse-free survival. Multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed that SKA1 was an independent predictor of patient prognosis. Gene expression profiling analysis of public data showed that high-SKA1 expression HCC tissues had similar gene expression profiles with fetal liver tissues. Moreover, GSEA showed that genes up-regulated in high SKA1 HCC subgroup were significantly enriched in cell cycle pathway, while genes down-regulated were significantly enriched in apoptosis pathway. Conclusions Our findings indicate that the oncofetal gene SKA1 might be involved in the progression of the HCC and could serve as a prognostic marker for HCC.