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The prognostic value of combined TGF-β1 and ELF in hepatocellular carcinoma
Fei Ji1, Shun-Jun Fu2, Shun-Li Shen3
1Organ Transplant Center, the First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, P. R. China. jifei1215@163.com.
Background:
Tumor suppression of Transforming Growth Factor (TGF-β) signaling pathway requires an adaptor protein, Embryonic Liver Fodrin (ELF). Disruption of ELF expression resulted in miscolocalization of Smad3 and Smad4, then disruption of TGF-β signaling. However, the prognostic significance of ELF for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) hasn't been clarified. This study aimed to investigate whether measuring both TGF-β1 and ELF provides a more powerful predictor for HCC prognosis than either marker alone.
Methods:
TGF-β1 and ELF protein were detected by immunohistochemistry. The relationship between TGF-β1/ELF expression and patients' clinicopathologic factors was analyzed. The association between TGF-β1/ELF expression and disease-free survival and overall survival was analyzed by Kaplan-Meier curves, the log-rank test, and Multivariate Cox regression analyses.
Results:
The expression of TGF-β1 in HCC tissues was significantly higher than that in normal liver tissues. Conversely, the expression of ELF in HCC tissues declined markedly. ELF protein was correlated with HBsAg, tumor size, tumor number, TNM and recurrence. Data also indicated a significant negative correlation between ELF and TGF-β1. Patients with high TGF-β1 expression or/and low ELF expression appeared to have a poor postoperative disease-free survival and overall survival compared with those with low TGF-β1 expression or/and high ELF expression. Furthermore, the predictive range of ELF combined with TGF-β1 was more sensitive than that of either one alone.
Conclusions:
TGF-β1 and ELF protein are potential and reliable biomarkers for predicting prognosis in HCC patients after hepatic resection. Our current study has demonstrated that the prognostic accuracy of testing can be enhanced by their combination.
Insights
Measuring both Transforming Growth Factor-beta 1 (TGF-β1) and Embryonic Liver Fodrin (ELF) improves hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) prognosis prediction. Combined TGF-β1 and ELF levels offer a more sensitive indicator of patient survival post-surgery.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Molecular Biology
- Biomarker Discovery
Background:
- Transforming Growth Factor-beta (TGF-β) signaling is crucial for tumor suppression.
- Embryonic Liver Fodrin (ELF) acts as an adaptor protein in TGF-β pathway regulation.
- Disruption of ELF impacts Smad3/Smad4 localization and TGF-β signaling, but its prognostic role in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the prognostic significance of Embryonic Liver Fodrin (ELF) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).
- To determine if combined measurement of TGF-β1 and ELF offers superior predictive power for HCC prognosis compared to individual markers.
Main Methods:
- Immunohistochemistry was used to detect TGF-β1 and ELF protein expression in HCC tissues.
- Clinicopathological factors and survival data (disease-free and overall survival) were analyzed.
- Kaplan-Meier curves, log-rank tests, and Multivariate Cox regression analyses were employed to assess prognostic associations.
Main Results:
- TGF-β1 expression was elevated, while ELF expression was reduced in HCC tissues compared to normal liver.
- ELF expression correlated with tumor size, number, TNM stage, and recurrence, showing a negative correlation with TGF-β1.
- High TGF-β1/low ELF expression was associated with poor survival; the combined marker demonstrated enhanced predictive sensitivity.
Conclusions:
- TGF-β1 and ELF are reliable biomarkers for predicting prognosis in HCC patients post-hepatic resection.
- Combining TGF-β1 and ELF measurements significantly enhances prognostic accuracy for HCC.
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