Introduction and Objectives

Cavin1 is a cell membrane caveolin, with controversial function in different tumors. Meanwhile, the role of Cavin1 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) progression remains unclear. In this study, we attempted to elucidate the significance of Cavin1 in HCC occurrence and progression.

Materials and Methods

Cavin1 content was examined in HCC tissues and paired adjacent normal liver tissues by qRT-PCR and IHC among 81 HCC patients. The Cavin1-mediated regulation of HCC proliferation and metastasis was assessed through in vitro and in vivo experiments. Finally, using GSEA, we found out Cavin1 could be a potential regulator of the Wnt pathway. The alterations of the Wnt pathway-related proteins were identified by Western Blot analysis.

Results

Cavin1 was lower expressed in HCC, which implied poor survival outcomes in HCC patients. Phenotypic experiments revealed that Cavin1 strongly suppressed HCC proliferation and migration in vitro and in vivo. Besides, altered epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-related protein expressions were detected. Based on our GSEA analysis, Cavin1 activated the Wnt pathway, and Western Blot analysis revealed diminished β-catenin, c-Myc, and MMP9 contents upon Cavin1 overexpression.

Conclusions

Cavin1 suppresses HCC progression by modulating HCC proliferation and migration via inhibiting the Wnt/β-catenin axis activation.

中文翻译：

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Cavin1激活Wnt/β-catenin通路影响肝细胞癌的增殖和迁移

简介和目标

Cavin1 是一种细胞膜小窝蛋白，在不同肿瘤中的功能存在争议。与此同时，Cavin1 在肝细胞癌 (HCC) 进展中的作用仍不清楚。在本研究中，我们试图阐明Cavin1在HCC发生和进展中的意义。

材料和方法

通过 qRT-PCR 和 IHC 在 81 名 HCC 患者中检查 HCC 组织和配对的邻近正常肝组织中的 Cavin1 含量。通过体外和体内实验评估 Cavin1 介导的 HCC 增殖和转移调节。最后，利用 GS​​EA，我们发现 Cavin1 可能是 Wnt 通路的潜在调节因子。通过蛋白质印迹分析鉴定了 Wnt 通路相关蛋白的改变。

结果

Cavin1 在 HCC 中表达较低，这意味着 HCC 患者的生存结果较差。表型实验表明，Cavin1在体外和体内均强烈抑制 HCC 增殖和迁移。此外，还检测到上皮间质转化（EMT）相关蛋白表达的改变。根据我们的 GSEA 分析，Cavin1 激活了 Wnt 通路，Western Blot 分析显示 Cavin1 过表达后 β-catenin、c-Myc 和 MMP9 含量减少。

结论

Cavin1 通过抑制 Wnt/β-连环蛋白轴激活来调节 HCC 增殖和迁移，从而抑制 HCC 进展。