title: High VRK1 expression contributes to cell proliferation and survival in hepatocellular carcinoma.
abstract: VRK1 is a member of the vaccinia-related kinase (VRK) family of serine/threonine protein kinases, which is known to play multiple roles in cellular proliferation, cell cycle regulation and carcinogenesis. However, the expression and physiological significance of VRK1 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remain unclear. In this study, we aimed to investigate the potential role of VRK1 in the development and progression of HCC. Western blot and immunohistochemical analysis revealed that VRK1 was highly expressed in HCC tissues and cell lines, compared with adjacent nontumorous tissues and LO2 normal hepatocytes. Meanwhile, clinicopathological analysis showed that VRK1 was significantly associated with AJCC stage, Ki-67 and a poor prognosis in HCC specimens. Univariate and multivariate analysis showed that VRK1 could serve as an independent prognostic indicator of HCC patients' survival. Furthermore, we found that VRK1 was lowly expressed in serum-starved Huh7 cells, and was progressively increased after serum-refeeding. Finally, flow cytometry, CCK-8 and colony formation assay indicated that the depletion of VRK1 could retard cell cycle progression and reduce cells proliferation in HCC cells. On the basis of these findings, we conclude that VRK1 may be a candidate prognostic biomarker as well as a potential therapeutical target of HCC.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu Province, 226001 People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Department of general surgery, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu Province, 226001 People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Xiaopeng
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Cui
authors.affiliation: Class 5, Grade 13, Clinical Medicine, Medical College, Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu Province, 226001 People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Yuyan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory for Inflammation and Molecular Drug Target, Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu Province, 226001 People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Mengting
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shao
authors.affiliation: Department of general surgery, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu Province, 226001 People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Xian
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Shao
authors.affiliation: Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory for Inflammation and Molecular Drug Target, Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu Province, 226001 People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Yifen
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu Province, 226001 People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Qingqing
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu Province, 226001 People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Miaomiao
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu Province, 226001 People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Jinxia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu Province, 226001 People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Wenkai
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Ni
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu Province, 226001 People's Republic of China. Electronic address: lch670608@sina.com.
authors.forename: Cuihua
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.affiliation: Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory for Inflammation and Molecular Drug Target, Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu Province, 226001 People's Republic of China. Electronic address: Chwan@ntu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Chunhua
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis* / Q000096:biosynthesis; D015153:Blotting, Western; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000378:metabolism / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D002470:Cell Survival; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; C109890:VRK1 protein, human
keywords: Cell proliferation; Hepatocellular carcinoma; Prognosis; VRK1