Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 2, 2025
08:25
Mass Cytometry Analysis of Systemic and Local Immune Responses in Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Published on: April 25, 2025
287
Comprehensive analysis of complement-associated molecular features in hepatocellular carcinoma
Run Huang1,2, Guiqi Zhu1,2, Xiutao Fu1,2
1Department of Liver Surgery and Transplantation, Liver Cancer Institute, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, and Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion of Ministry of Education, Shanghai 200032, China.
Acta Biochimica Et Biophysica Sinica
|August 5, 2022
Summary
The complement system is less active in liver cancer (hepatocellular carcinoma) than in normal tissue. Lower complement activity correlates with aggressive cancer features and impacts drug response.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Oncology
Background:
- The complement cascade is vital for human immunity.
- The role of the complement system in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) molecular and clinical features is not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of the complement system in HCC.
- To analyze the relationship between complement activity and tumor characteristics, immune infiltration, and drug response.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of 11 public datasets comparing complement genes in normal vs. cancerous tissues.
- Construction of complement scores to quantify tumor complement signatures.
- Systematic analysis of complement status in HCC patients from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) cohort.
Main Results:
- Complement scores were significantly lower in normal tissues compared to tumor tissues.
- HCC patients were classified into complement score-low and score-high groups.
- Complement score-high group showed inhibited tumor-promoting pathways, abundant tumor-killing immune cells (CD8+ T cells, NK cells), and upregulated tumor-suppressing miRNAs.
- Complement scores negatively correlated with pathological grade, clinical stage, and portal vein invasion.
- Complement scores and molecular features correlated with anti-cancer drug response.
Conclusions:
- The complement system plays a significant role in HCC.
- Complement activity is associated with immune infiltration, molecular features, and clinical characteristics of HCC.
- Complement scores may serve as a predictive biomarker for HCC progression and drug response.
