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HOPX regulates the invasion and migration abilities of hepatocellular carcinoma by targeting SNAIL

Rong Wang1, Haizhou Xu2, Changhuan Hu2

  • 1Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, The Affiliated Qingyuan Hospital (Qingyuan People' Hospital), Guangzhou Medical University, Qingyuan, 511500, China.

Scientific Reports
|August 13, 2025
PubMed

Insights

The HOPX gene suppresses hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) development by inhibiting cancer cell invasion and migration. Restoring HOPX expression reduces metastasis by downregulating SNAIL, an epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition factor.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Cancer Research

Background:

  • The tumor suppressor role of HOPX is known in some cancers, but its function and mechanism in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remain unclear.
  • Understanding HOPX's role is crucial for developing targeted therapies against HCC, a significant global health concern.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the effect of HOPX on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) development and elucidate its mechanism of action.
  • To determine if HOPX can inhibit HCC cell invasion, migration, and metastasis.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized in vitro and in vivo animal models to study HOPX's effect on HCC.
  • Analyzed HOPX protein and mRNA expression levels in HCC cells and tissues.
  • Investigated the impact of HOPX restoration on HCC cell behavior and metastasis in a mouse model.
  • Examined the interaction between HOPX and SNAIL, a key transcription factor in epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT).

Main Results:

  • HOPX expression was significantly downregulated at both protein and mRNA levels in HCC cells and tumor tissues.
  • Restoring HOPX expression inhibited HCC cell invasion and migration but did not affect cell growth.
  • HOPX administration prevented metastasis in a mouse model of HCC.
  • HOPX suppressed HCC cell epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) by inhibiting SNAIL expression.

Conclusions:

  • HOPX functions as a tumor suppressor in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).
  • HOPX inhibits HCC cell invasion and migration by downregulating the transcription factor SNAIL, thereby suppressing metastasis.
  • Targeting HOPX may offer a novel therapeutic strategy for preventing HCC progression and metastasis.
Keywords:
EMTHOPXHepatocellular carcinomaMetastasis

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