Upregulated TUBG1 expression is correlated with poor prognosis in hepatocellular carcinoma
Kainan Zhang,
Mengsi Yu,
Hui Liu,
Zhao Hui,
Ning Yang,
Xiaojuan Bi,
Li Sun,
RenYong Lin,
Guodong Lü
Affiliations
Kainan Zhang
Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, Xinjiang, China
Mengsi Yu
Department of Clinical Laboratory, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, Xinjiang, China
Hui Liu
State Key Laboratory of Pathogenesis, Prevention, and Treatment of Central Asian High Incidence Diseases, Clinical Medical Research Institute, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, Xinjiang, China
Zhao Hui
Department of Clinical Laboratory, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, Xinjiang, China
Ning Yang
State Key Laboratory of Pathogenesis, Prevention, and Treatment of Central Asian High Incidence Diseases, Clinical Medical Research Institute, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, Xinjiang, China
Xiaojuan Bi
State Key Laboratory of Pathogenesis, Prevention, and Treatment of Central Asian High Incidence Diseases, Clinical Medical Research Institute, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, Xinjiang, China
Li Sun
State Key Laboratory of Pathogenesis, Prevention, and Treatment of Central Asian High Incidence Diseases, Clinical Medical Research Institute, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, Xinjiang, China
RenYong Lin
State Key Laboratory of Pathogenesis, Prevention, and Treatment of Central Asian High Incidence Diseases, Clinical Medical Research Institute, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, Xinjiang, China
Guodong Lü
State Key Laboratory of Pathogenesis, Prevention, and Treatment of Central Asian High Incidence Diseases, Clinical Medical Research Institute, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, Xinjiang, China
Background Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) development is a complex pathological process. Tubulin gamma 1 (TUBG1) plays an oncogenic role in several human cancers; however, its functional role in HCC tumorigenesis remains unknown. Methods Herein we first evaluated the gene expression levels of TUBG1 in HCC using data from The Cancer Genome Atlas and Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis databases. We then elucidated the association between TUBG1 gene expression levels and survival rates of patients with HCC. Cell cycle, proliferation, transwell migration, and matrigel invasion assays were used to study the effects of TUBG1 on the malignant phenotypes of HCC cells. Results Based on the data obtained from the aforementioned databases and our in vitro experiments, TUBG1 was found to be overexpressed in HCC and patients with high TUBG1 expression levels showed a remarkably poor overall survival rate. In addition, the expression of TUBG1 significantly promoted the malignant phenotypes of HCC cells in vitro. Gene ontology term enrichment analysis revealed that co-regulated genes were enriched in biological processes mainly involved in chromosome segregation, chromosomal region, and chromatin binding; moreover, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genome pathway analysis showed that they were mainly involved in cell cycle, oocyte meiosis, platinum drug resistance, and the p53 signaling pathway. Conclusions We report that TUBG1 is an important oncogene in HCC. It promotes HCC progression and may serve as a potential prognostic biomarker for HCC. Future studies are warranted to unveil molecular biological mechanisms underlying TUBG1 carcinogenesis.
