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Characterization of lactylation modification subtypes and the promoting role of CCL20 in hepatocellular carcinoma progression

  • 0Department of Gastroenterology, Xijing 986 Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China.
Frontiers in Genetics +

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July 31, 2025

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July 31, 2025

View abstract on PubMed

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

This study identifies a six-gene lactylation modification-based prognostic model (LRPS) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Higher LRPS scores indicate worse prognosis and correlate with immune cell infiltration, highlighting CCL20 as a key driver gene.

Area Of Science

  • Oncology
  • Biochemistry
  • Molecular Biology

Background

  • Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is an aggressive malignancy with a need for improved prognostic factors.
  • Lactylation modification is implicated in tumorigenesis, but its role and related genes in HCC are not fully understood.

Purpose Of The Study

  • To identify prognostically significant lactylation modification-related genes in HCC.
  • To develop and validate a lactylation modification-based prognostic model for HCC patients.
  • To investigate the role of lactylation in the tumor immune microenvironment and HCC progression.

Main Methods

  • Screening of lactylation-related genes using expression data and patient survival outcomes (DFS, PFS, OS).
  • Stratification of HCC patients into subtypes using Non-negative Matrix Factorization (NMF).
  • Construction and validation of a prognostic model using LASSO-Cox and multivariate Cox regression; analysis of immune cell infiltration via CIBERSORT; in vitro validation of CCL20.

Main Results

  • Three lactylation modification patterns were identified, with higher levels associated with poorer HCC prognosis.
  • A six-gene prognostic model (LRPS: FAM83D, ENO1, PFN2, LCAT, PTGR1, CCL20) was developed and validated, showing reduced survival in high-risk groups.
  • The LRPS correlated with TP53 mutations, immune cell infiltration (M0 macrophages, Tregs, neutrophils), and CCL20 overexpression enhanced HCC cell proliferation and migration.

Conclusions

  • A novel lactylation modification-based prognostic model (LRPS) accurately predicts HCC patient outcomes.
  • The LRPS is linked to glucose metabolism and immune infiltration patterns.
  • CCL20 is a key gene in the model, promoting HCC progression and serving as a potential prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target.

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