Journal of Shanghai Jiao Tong University (Medical Science) ›› 2024, Vol. 44 ›› Issue (7): 801-813.doi: 10.3969/j.issn.1674-8115.2024.07.001

• Innovative research team achievement column •     Next Articles

Expression of cancer-testis antigen SPANXB and its mechanism in affecting hepatocellular carcinoma progress

XUE Yu1()(), ZHANG Hailong2(), LEI Ming1()   

  1. 1.Shanghai Institute of Precision Medicine, Shanghai Ninth People′s Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200125, China
    2.Institute of Translational Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
  • Received:2023-12-18 Accepted:2024-04-17 Online:2024-07-28 Published:2024-07-28
  • Contact: ZHANG Hailong,LEI Ming E-mail:yu.xue@sjtu.edu.cn;zhanghailong@sjtu.edu.cn;leim@shsmu.edu.cn
  • Supported by:
    National Key Research and Development Program of China(2018YFA0107004)

Abstract:

Objective ·To analyze the expression of cancer-testis antigen (CTA) family member SPANXB (sperm protein associated with the nucleus on the X chromosome B) in liver cancer and its correlation with the prognosis of liver cancer patients, and to explore the impact of SPANXB on liver cancer cell proliferation and its potential mechanism. Methods ·By using liver cancer sample data from the cancer genome atlas (TCGA) database, the expression of SPANXB in liver cancer tissue and its correlation with patient survival were analyzed. By constructing stable knockdown of SPANXB and stable overexpression of SPANXB in liver cancer cell lines, the effects of SPANXB on liver cancer cell proliferation were evaluated with live cell imaging experiments, EdU cell proliferation experiments and plate clone formation experiments. The regulatory pathways of SPANXB in liver cancer cell proliferation were explored through RNA-sequence (RNA-seq), and the effect of SPANXB on liver cancer cell cycle was validated through cell cycle experiments. Immunoprecipitation-mass spectrometry (IP-MS) was used to explore the proteins that interacted with SPANXB, and co-immunoprecipitation (Co-IP) was used to verify their interaction. Results ·The expression of SPANXB mRNA in liver cancer tissues was higher than that in normal tissues (P=0.003), and was negatively correlated with the survival of liver cancer patients. Stable knockdown of SPANXB could reduce the proliferation and clone formation ability of liver cancer cells, while stable overexpression of SPANXB could promote these processes. The analysis results of RNA-seq showed that knockdown of SPANXB could lead to downregulation of DNA replication and G1/S cell cycle transition-related pathways. The results of cell cycle experiments showed that knockdown of SPANXB could result in changes in the liver cancer cell cycle. The results of IP-MS and Co-IP showed that SPAXNB interacted with cell cycle-related proteins such as mitotic arrest defect 2-like protein 1 (MAD2L1) and WD repeat domain 5 (WDR5). Conclusion ·The high expression of SPANXB is negatively correlated with the prognosis of liver cancer. SPANXB may regulate the cell cycle and enhance the proliferation activity of liver cancer cells by interacting with MAD2L1 and WDR5.

Key words: cancer-testis antigen (CTA), sperm protein associated with the nucleus on the X chromosome B (SPANXB), liver cancer, cell cycle

CLC Number: