Differential expression of Rab27A/B correlates with clinical outcome in hepatocellular carcinoma

AIM:To investigate the association of Rab27A and Rab27B expression with clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC).METHODS:We used reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR),real-time PCR,and Western blotting to detect Rab27A and Rab27B mRNA and protein expression in 5 human HCC lines and the immortalized hepatic HL-7702 cell line.We further examined 148 primary HCC samples matched with adjacent normal tissue and 80 non-HCC specimens by immunohistochemistry to evaluate the correlation of Rab27A and Rab27B expression with clinicopathological features and prognosis.RESULTS:Our data showed that Rab27A and Rab27Bwere differentially expressed in cell lines and primary HCC tumors.Rab27A mRNA and protein were detected in 67%(4/6)of human cell lines and 80%(4/5)of HCC cell lines,while Rab27B was found in 50%(3/6)of human lines and 40%(2/5)of HCC lines.Rab27A expression was higher in primary HCC(46.2%,66/143)than in matched adjacent tissue(24.3%,33/136,P<0.001),whereas immunopositivity for Rab27B was lower in primary HCC(57.4%,81/141)than in matched adjacent tissue(87.5%,119/136,P<0.001).Analysis of clinicopathological characteristics of 148 HCC specimens revealed significant correlations between Rab27A and Rab27B expression and tumor tumor-node-metastasis(TNM)classification(P=0.046 and P=0.027,respectively),and between strong Rab27A expression and tumor differentiation grade(P=0.008).Survival analyses revealed that patients with Rab27A+or Rab27B+tumors had significantly reduced overall survival compared with that of patients with Rab27A-or Rab27B-tumors(P= 0.015 and P=0.005,respectively).Risk analyses revealed that Rab27B+and TNMⅢ-Ⅳwere independent poor prognosis factors associated with a 3.36-and 3.37fold higher relative risk of death,respectively.CONCLUSION:Rab27A and Rab27B expression were closely correlated with tumor progression and can be valuable prognostic indicators for HCC patients.

Overexpression of p42.3 promotes cell growth and tumorigenicity in hepatocellular carcinoma

AIM:To investigate the association of p42.3 expression with clinicopathological characteristics and the biological function of p42.3 in human hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC).METHODS:We used reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR),quantitative real-time RT-PCR and western blotting to detect p42.3 mRNA and protein expression in hepatic cell lines.We examined primary HCC samples and matched adjacent normal tissue by immunohistochemistry to investigate the correlation between p42.3 expression and clinicopathological features.HepG2 cells were transfected with a pIRES2EGFP-p42.3 expression vector to examine the function of the p42.3 gene.Transfected cells were analyzed for their viability and malignant transformation abilities by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay,colony formation assay,and tumorigenicity assay in nude mice.RESULTS:p42.3 is differentially expressed in primary HCC tumors and cell lines.Approximately 69.6%(96/138) of cells were p42.3-positive in hepatic tumor tissues,while 30.7%(35/114) were p42.3-positive in tumor-adjacent normal tissues.Clinicopathological characteristics of the HCC specimens revealed a significant correlation between p42.3 expression and tumor differentiation(P = 0.031).However,p42.3 positivity was not related to tumor tumor-node-metastasis classification,hepatitis B virus status,or hepatoma type.Regarding p42.3 overexpression in stably transfected HepG2 cells,we discovered significant enhancement of cancer cell growth and colony formation in vitro,and significantly enhanced tumorigenicity in nude mice.Western blot analysis of cell cycle proteins revealed that enhanced p42.3 levels promote upregulation of proliferating cell nuclear antigen,cyclin B1 and mitotic arrest deficient 2.CONCLUSION:p42.3 promotes tumorigenicity and tumor growth in HCC and may be a potential target for future clinical cancer therapeutics.

Enhanced Photovoltage for Inverted Perovskite Solar Cells Using Delafossite CuCrO_(2) Hole Transport Material

Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate)(PEDOT:PSS)has been widely adopted as hole transport material(HTM)in inverted perovskite solar cells(PSCs),due to high optical transparency,good mechanical flexibility,and high thermal stability;however,its acidity and hygroscopicity inevitably hamper the long-term stability of the PSCs and its energy level does not match well with perovskite materials with a relatively low open-circuit voltage.In this work,p-type delafossite CuCrO_(2)nanoparticles synthesized through hydrothermal method was employed as an alternative HTM for triple cation perovskite[(FAPbI_(3))_(0.87)(MAPbBr_(3))_(0.13)]_(0.92)(CsPbI_(3))_(0.08)(possessing better photovoltaic performance and stability than conventional CH3NH3PbI3)based inverted PSCs.The average open-circuit voltage of PSCs increases from 908 mV of the devices with PEDOT:PSS HTM to 1020 m V of the devices with CuCrO_(2)HTM.Ultraviolet photoemission spectroscopy demonstrates the energy band alignment between CuCrO_(2)and perovskite is better than that between PEDOT:PSS and perovskite,the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy indicates CuCrO_(2)-based PSCs exhibit larger recombination resistance and longer charge carrier lifetime than PEDOT:PSS-based PSCs,which contributes to the high VOCof CuCrO_(2)HTM-based PSCs.