title: Galectin-9 acts as a prognostic factor with antimetastatic potential in hepatocellular carcinoma.
abstract: Considerable research has been conducted concerning galectin-9 and carcinomas, but little information is available about any relation with the hepatocellular carcinoma. In this study, we employed a small interfering RNA (siRNA) targeting galectin-9 to down-regulate the expression in HepG2 cells. As a result, after galectin-9 expression was reduced, cell aggregation was suppressed, while other behaviour such as the proliferation, adhesion and invasion to ECM, cell-endothelial adhesion and transendothelial invasion of the cells were markedly enhanced. When tumors of 200 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma were tested for galectin-9 expression by immunohistochemistry, binding levels demonstrated intimate correlations with the histopathologic grade, lymph node metastasis, vascular invasion and intrahepatic metastasis (P<0.05). Moreover, survival analysis indicated that patients with galectin-9 expression had much longer survival time than those with negative lesions, and the Log-rank test indicated that this difference was statistical significant (P<0.0001). The Cox proportional hazards model suggested that negative galectin-9 expression in hepatocellular carcinoma represented a significant risk factor for patient survival. We propose that galectin-9 might be a new prognostic factor with antimetastatic potential in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.
authors.affiliation: Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, China.
authors.forename: Zhao-Yang
authors.initials: ZY
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Jia-Hong
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Dong
authors.forename: Yong-Wei
authors.initials: YW
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Xian-Qiang
authors.initials: XQ
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Chong-Hui
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Guo-Qiang
authors.initials: GQ
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Hai-Lin
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Xue-Dong
authors.initials: XD
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D002448:Cell Adhesion / Q000235:genetics; D002449:Cell Aggregation / Q000235:genetics; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D005109:Extracellular Matrix / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D037161:Galectins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D056945:Hep G2 Cells; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis / Q000235:genetics; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness / Q000235:genetics*; D011379:Prognosis; D034622:RNA Interference; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering; D016019:Survival Analysis
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D037161:Galectins; C105032:LGALS9 protein, human; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering