DNA Primase Subunit 1 Expression in Hepatocellular Carcinoma and Its Clinical Implication

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Molecular Biology
• Genetics

Background:

• Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a major global health concern.
• The role of DNA Primase Subunit 1 (PRIM1) in HCC development and progression is not fully understood.
• Identifying novel biomarkers for HCC diagnosis and prognosis is critical.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the clinical implications and prognostic value of PRIM1 in HCC.
• To explore the functional role of PRIM1 in HCC through gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA).
• To evaluate the association between PRIM1 expression and tumor-infiltrating immune cells (TIICs) in HCC.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of PRIM1 expression in HCC tissues using TCGA, GEO, ONCOMINE, and HCCDB databases.
• Kaplan-Meier analysis and univariate/multivariate analyses to assess prognostic value.
• Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) and tumor-infiltrating immune cell (TIIC) analysis.

Main Results:

• PRIM1 was significantly overexpressed in HCC tissues compared to normal liver tissues (p < 0.05).
• High PRIM1 expression was associated with worse overall survival in HCC patients (p < 0.05).
• PRIM1 demonstrated diagnostic significance with an AUROC of 0.8651 and was linked to tumor-related pathways and TIICs.

Conclusions:

• PRIM1 is an independent prognostic indicator and a potential diagnostic biomarker for HCC.
• PRIM1 overexpression is implicated in HCC tumorigenesis and associated with immune cell infiltration.
• Further research into PRIM1's role could lead to novel therapeutic strategies for HCC.