Abstract:
Objective:To investigate the correlation of FAT 10expression with the malignant characteristics of hepatocellular car -cinoma (HCC), and to explore the effect of FAT 10on RhoA and cytoskeleton of HCC. Methods:Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was used to detect the FAT10expression level of 108 HCC patients, and the correlation between the expression of FAT10and the malignant characteristics of HCC patients was analyzed. We transiently transfected plasmids with overexpressed FAT 10using 7721and HepG2 cells or interfered with FAT10expression using siRNA in Huh 7 and LM3 cells. Active-RhoA, total-RhoA, and ROCK protein expres-sion levels were detected by Western blot analysis after overexpression or interference. We also used immunofluorescence to detect changes in the cytoskeleton protein F-actin after FAT10overexpression in7721cells.Results:Correlation analysis showed that both ac-tive-RhoA and FAT10expression levels were significantly correlated with clinical malignant characteristics by using IHC (RhoA: me-tastasis, P=0.036 and recurrence, P=0.026; FAT 10: metastasis, P=0.031 and recurrenc P=0.004). In addition, active-RhoA expression level was correlated with FAT10(P=0.000). Survival analysis showed that the prognoses of low-expression active RhoA ( P=0.019) or FAT 10(P=0.026) groups were significantly better than those of the high-expression groups. Western blot analysis showed that FAT10 increased the expression of active-RhoA and ROCK. However, the expression of active-RhoA and ROCK decreased after FAT 10inter -ference. F-actin expression increased in the 7721cells with overexpressed FAT 10(all P<0.01). Moreover, FAT10facilitated F-actin ag -gregation on cell membrane and changes in F- actin. Conclusion:FAT 10is correlated with the malignant characteristics of HCC and may promote changes in HCC cytoskeleton induced by active-RhoA.