Key clinical point: Among patients with hepatocellular carcinoma, overexpression of phosphatidylinositol glycan anchor biosynthesis, class C (PIGC) was linked to more aggressive disease and worse survival.
Major finding: PIGC mRNA was overexpressed in cancerous vs normal liver ( P less than .0001). Among patients with liver cancer, higher PIGC expression correlated with worse overall survival (37.8 vs 71.0 months; hazard ratio [HR], 1.7, P = .003) and disease-free survival (48.4 vs 68.6 months; HR, 1.5, P = .007), and with higher tumor grade and stage, lymphatic metastasis, and TP53 mutation. In addition, liver cancer cell migration and proliferation were significantly higher in PIGC-upregulated cells, and significantly lower in PIGC-silenced cells. The PIGC mutation rate was 10%; PIGC mutation was significantly associated with higher T and M stages.
Study details: The researchers searched and analyzed bioinformatic databases and websites, such as UALCAN and cBioPortal , and performed Western blot, transwell migration assays, CCK-8 assays, and flow cytometry of cancerous and normal liver cells.
Disclosures: The Fundamental Research Funds of Wuhan University provided funding. The investigators reported having no conflicts of interest.
Source: Guo X et al. J Hepatocell Carcinoma. 2021 Apr 6. doi: 10.2147/JHC.S297601 .