RETRACTED ARTICLE: Expression tendency and prognostic value of TCF21 in hepatocellular carcinoma

Abstract

Background: Transcription factor 21 (TCF21) is identified as a tumor suppressor in a variety of human tumors. The purpose of the study was to examine its expression tendency and prognostic value in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods: Relative expression of TCF21 mRNA in tissue samples from HCC patients and healthy volunteers were detected through quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) while its protein level was examined via immunohistochemistry analysis. Chi-square test was adopted to assess the association of TCF21 expression with the clinicopathological characteristic of the patients. Then Kaplan-Meier analysis was employed to analyze the function of TCF21 expression on overall survival among HCC patients. Results: Both the mRNA and protein levels of TCF21 were significantly reduced in HCC tissue samples compared with healthy controls (p < .05). Also, its expression was obviously affected by the classification of tissue pathology, metastasis, T stage, N stage and pathological grading. According to Kaplan-Meier analysis, patients with higher expression of TCF21 experienced dramatically longer overall survival time than those with lower expression (log rank test, p < .001). Conclusions: TCF21 expression was decreased in HCC patients and it could act as a prognostic marker.

Role of the bHLH transcription factor TCF21 in development and tumorigenesis

“…In 2006, Smith et al (63) described for the first time that the promoter region on human chromosome 6q23-q24 of TCF21 was hypermethylated in non-smallcell lung cancers (NSCLC) and head and neck squamous cell carcinomas. Since then, TCF21 has been studied in other types of human cancers and is considered a tumor suppressor gene in melanomas, renal cancer, adrenocortical carcinomas, colorectal tumors, gastric cancer, and hepatocellular carcinomas (18,(64)(65)(66)(67)(68)(69). In general, the proposition is that TCF21 is downregulated primarily by DNA hypermethylation, rather than genetic mutations, in malignant tumors.…”

Exosomes secreted by chronic hepatitis B patients with PNALT and liver inflammation grade ≥ A2 promoted the progression of liver cancer by transferring miR‐25‐3p to inhibit the co‐expression of TCF21 and HHIP

“…23,24 TCF21 functions as an anti-oncogene and can inhibit tumour cell proliferation and metastasis, and vascular production in breast cancer, 25 ovarian cancer, 26 lung cancer 27 and liver cancer. 24 HHIP is also an anti-tumour gene and a negative feedback factor in the HH pathway that directly inhibits HH. HHIP, which is encoded by a gene located at 4q31.21-31.3, can compete with PTCH for binding to hedgehog (Hh) protein, thereby blocking HH signalling.…”

CircMEMO1 modulates the promoter methylation and expression of TCF21 to regulate hepatocellular carcinoma progression and sorafenib treatment sensitivity

“…Transcription factor 21 (TCF21), a member of the class II bHLH transcription factor superfamily, has been demonstrated to be aberrantly methylated and frequently silenced in human malignancies [8][9][10][11][12]. TCF21 not only mediates cell fate and differentiation by orchestrating temporal and spatial gene expression during the development of various organs but is also recognized as a key regulator involved in a wide spectrum of essential biological processes, such as cell proliferation, differentiation, survival, cell cycle, invasion and metastasis [8,10].…”

“…TCF21 not only mediates cell fate and differentiation by orchestrating temporal and spatial gene expression during the development of various organs but is also recognized as a key regulator involved in a wide spectrum of essential biological processes, such as cell proliferation, differentiation, survival, cell cycle, invasion and metastasis [ 8 , 10 ]. Owing to its crucial role in transcriptional regulation, TCF21 has great potential as an efficient therapeutic target for a number of cancers [ 12 ]. However, the regulatory mechanisms, including the reason for aberrant TCF21 dysregulation in HCC tissues, are still unsolved.…”