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NLR Risk Score for Predicting Patient Prognosis in Hepatocellular Carcinoma and Identification of Oncogenic Role of NLRP5 in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

  • 0Department of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230022, China.
Oncology Research +

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October 6, 2025

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October 6, 2025

View abstract on PubMed

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

This study developed a prognostic model using Nod-like receptor (NLR) genes to predict survival in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). NLR family pyrin domain containing 5 (NLRP5) was identified as an oncogene promoting HCC via the p53 pathway.

Area Of Science

  • Oncology
  • Immunology
  • Genetics

Background

  • Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a leading cause of cancer mortality.
  • The role of Nod-like receptor (NLR) genes in HCC progression and prognosis is not well understood.
  • This research investigates the prognostic significance and biological functions of NLR genes in HCC.

Purpose Of The Study

  • To classify HCC into molecular subtypes based on NLR gene expression.
  • To develop a prognostic model (NLR_score) for HCC patients.
  • To identify key NLR genes involved in HCC pathogenesis and their therapeutic potential.

Main Methods

  • Nonnegative matrix factorization (NMF) was used to analyze transcriptomic and clinical data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) for HCC subtype classification.
  • An NLR-based prognostic model (NLR_score) was constructed using Cox regression analyses.
  • <i>In vitro</i> and <i>in vivo</i> experiments validated the role of NLR family pyrin domain containing 5 (NLRP5) in HCC progression.

Main Results

  • Two distinct HCC molecular subtypes with different survival outcomes were identified.
  • The NLR_score demonstrated reliable prognostic predictive power and correlated with chemotherapy sensitivity.
  • NLRP5 knockdown inhibited HCC cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and tumor growth, implicating it as an oncogene.

Conclusions

  • An NLR-based prognostic model was successfully developed to stratify HCC patients by survival risk.
  • NLRP5 acts as a novel oncogene in HCC, promoting tumor progression through the p53 signaling pathway.
  • NLRP5 presents a potential therapeutic target for HCC treatment.

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