MEX3C as a potential target for hepatocellular carcinoma drug and immunity: combined therapy with Lenvatinib

Background The immune microenvironment within hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is remarkably intricate. Although the combination of an immune checkpoint inhibitor and Lenvatinib can extend the overall survival of HCC patients, the outcome remains suboptimal. Methods We assessed alterations in MEX3C ex...

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Published inBMC cancer Vol. 23; no. 1; pp. 1 - 967
Main Authors Guo, Jinhui, Zhao, Jie, Xu, Qiuran, Huang, Dongsheng
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published London BioMed Central Ltd 12.10.2023
BioMed Central
BMC
Subjects
Binding proteins
Comparative analysis
Correlation analysis
Drug therapy
Gene expression
Genes
Genomics
Growth factors
Health aspects
Hepatocellular carcinoma
Hepatoma
Immune
Immune checkpoint inhibitors
Immunotherapy
Kinases
Lenvatinib
Liver cancer
Medical prognosis
Medical research
Medicine, Experimental
MEX3C
Microenvironment
Microenvironments
Prediction models
Proteins
Reagents
Survival analysis
Therapeutic targets
Tumors
China
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Summary:Background The immune microenvironment within hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is remarkably intricate. Although the combination of an immune checkpoint inhibitor and Lenvatinib can extend the overall survival of HCC patients, the outcome remains suboptimal. Methods We assessed alterations in MEX3C expression during hepatocarcinogenesis by validating multiple databases and subsequently developed a predictive model. Subsequently, we enriched the associated genes of MEX3C to investigate its functional role. We examined the correlation between MEX3C expression levels and immune infiltrating cells. The effects of MEX3C knockdown and Lenvatinib on hepatoma cells were observed by cell function experiments. Results MEX3C expression is elevated in HCC compared to normal tissues, and its high expression correlates with poor prognosis. Immune checkpoint expression was elevated in the high MEX3C expression group, concomitant with heightened myeloid-derived suppressor cell (MDSC) expression. The combination of MEX3C knockdown and Lenvatinib demonstrated a stronger inhibitory effect on HCC cells compared to Lenvatinib alone. Conclusion MEX3C shows promise as a potential therapeutic target for treating HCC. Furthermore, the combination of MEX3C knockdown and Lenvatinib could offer a novel therapeutic avenue for HCC treatment. Keywords: MEX3C, Lenvatinib, Immune, Microenvironment, Hepatocellular carcinoma
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-1
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
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content type line 23
ISSN:1471-2407
1471-2407
DOI:10.1186/s12885-023-11320-4