Favorable prognostic role of IL-26 in HCC patients associated with JAK-STAT3-dependent autophagy

Interleukin-26(IL-26),originally called AK155,is one of the cytokines of the IL-10 cytokine family,and its gene is located in human chromosome region 12q15.IL-26 signals through the receptors IL-20R1 and IL-10R2,which form a heterodimer,targets specific cells and induces activation of the JAK-STAT pathway,allowing the rapid phosphorylation of STAT1 and STAT3 and the initiation of their effects.1 This signaling plays an important role in the regulation of host defense and inflammatory diseases.However,whether the role of IL-26 in the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)occurs via autophagy remains unclear.Here,we analyzed the association between IL-26 levels and the clinicopathological characteristics of 115 patients with HCC and found that IL-26 levels were particularly associated with tumor stage and survival.We found that IL-26 levels were associated with the prognosis of HCC patients.Furthermore,we found that increased autophagy by IL-26 was dependent on the JAK-STAT3 signaling pathway,which could result in the inhibition of the migration and invasion abilities of these HCC cells.These findings suggest that the levels of IL-26 may be a useful prognostic marker for HCC patients and may offer insights into the clinical application of IL-26 in the future.