Mutations acquired by hepatocellular carcinoma recurrence give rise to an aggressive phenotype

Recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) even after curative resection causes dismal outcomes of patients. Here, to delineate the driver events of genomic and transcription alteration during HCC recurrence, we performed RNA-Seq profiling of the paired primary and recurrent tumors from two patients with intrahepatic HCC. By comparing the mutational and transcriptomic profiles, we identified somatic mutations acquired by HCC recurrence including novel mutants of GOLGB1 (E2721V) and SF3B3 (H804Y). By performing experimental evaluation using siRNA-mediated knockdown and overexpression constructs, we demonstrated that the mutants of GOLGB1 and SF3B3 can promote cell proliferation, colony formation, migration, and invasion of liver cancer cells. Transcriptome analysis also revealed that the recurrent HCCs reprogram their transcriptomes to acquire aggressive phenotypes. Network analysis revealed CXCL8 (IL-8) and SOX4 as common downstream targets of the mutants. In conclusion, we suggest that the mutations of GOLGB1 and SF3B3 are potential key drivers for the acquisition of an aggressive phenotype in recurrent HCC.