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Updated: Jul 4, 2025
Author Spotlight: Advancing Hepatic Fibrosis Diagnosis Using Magnetic Resonance Elastography and AI
Published on: July 21, 2023
Identification of differentially methylated regions associated with both liver fibrosis and hepatocellular carcinoma
Suguru Kurokawa1, Takuro Kobori1, Masato Yoneda2
1Laboratoy of Pathophysiology and Pharmacotherapeutics, Faculty of Pharmacy, Osaka Ohtani University, 3-11-1 Nishikiori-kita, Tondabayashi, Osaka, 584-8540, Japan.
Background:
Liver fibrosis is a major risk factor for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We have previously reported that differentially methylated regions (DMRs) are correlated with the fibrosis stages of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). In this study, the methylation levels of those DMRs in liver fibrosis and subsequent HCC were examined.
Methods:
The methylation levels of DMRs were investigated using alcoholic cirrhosis and HCC (GSE60753). The data of hepatitis C virus-infected cirrhosis and HCC (GSE60753), and two datasets (GSE56588 and GSE89852) were used for replication analyses. The transcriptional analyses were performed using GSE114564, GSE94660, and GSE142530.
Results:
Hypomethylated DMR and increased transcriptional level of zinc finger and BTB domain containing 38 (ZBTB38) were observed in HCC. Hypermethylated DMRs, and increased transcriptional levels of forkhead box K1 (FOXK1) and zinc finger CCCH-type containing 3 (ZC3H3) were observed in HCC. The methylation levels of DMR of kazrin, periplakin interacting protein (KAZN) and its expression levels were gradually decreased as cirrhosis progressed to HCC.
Conclusions:
Changes in the methylation and transcriptional levels of ZBTB38, ZC3H3, FOXK1, and KAZN are important for the development of fibrosis and HCC; and are therefore potential therapeutic targets and diagnostic tools for cirrhosis and HCC.
