Elevated ZC3H15 increases HCC growth and predicts poor survival after surgical resection

Zinc finger CCCH-type containing 15 (ZC3H15), also known as DRG family regulatory protein 1 (DFRP1), is a highly conserved eukaryotic protein that associates with active translation machinery. The aim of our study was to explore the clinical relevance and intrinsic functions of ZC3H15 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We constructed a cohort with 261 tumor and matched normal tissues from HCC patients. ZC3H15 protein and mRNA levels were determined using immunohistochemistry, western blot analysis, and quantitative polymerase chain reaction. ZC3H15 was highly expressed in the majority of HCC cases, and high ZC3H15 levels were significantly associated with high serum a-fetoprotein (AFP) levels (>20 ng/mL) and vascular invasion. Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression data indicated that elevated ZC3H15 was an independent predictor for HCC-specific disease-free survival (hazards ratio [HR], 1.789; 95% confidence interval [95% CI], 1.298-2.466 [P=0.0004]) and overall survival (HR, 1.613; 95% CI, 1.120-2.322 [P=0.0101]). Interaction of ZC3H15 with TRAF2 increased activation of NFκB signaling. These results suggest ZC3H15 is an independent prognostic marker in HCC patients that is clinicopathologically associated with tumor invasion and serum AFP levels.