title: Overexpression of the metastasis-associated gene MTA3 correlates with tumor progression and poor prognosis in hepatocellular carcinoma.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common and aggressive cancers in the world. However, there remains a lack of effective diagnostic and treatment markers. We aimed to explore metastasis-associated protein 3 (MTA3) expression and function in HCC and its relationship with clinicopathological factors.
  
  
  METHODS
  We investigated the expression pattern and clinicopathological significance of MTA3 in 90 patients with HCC via immunohistochemistry and explored MTA3 function via gene knockdown of MTA3.
  
  
  RESULTS
  MTA3 was overexpressed in HCC cell nuclei and downregulated in HCC cell cytoplasm. The former finding correlated with metastasis (P = 0.010) and poor prognosis (P = 0.018). In addition, deleting MTA3 inhibited HCC cell growth, invasion, and metastasis in vitro, as shown in the colony formation, migration, and wound-healing assays.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results indicate that MTA3 is an oncogene of HCC, predicts poor prognosis of HCC, and may be a future marker of HCC treatment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, China.
authors.forename: Chuanxi
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, China.
authors.forename: Guanzhen
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, China.
authors.forename: Jiamei
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, China.
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, China.
authors.forename: Tao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, China.
authors.forename: Jinyu
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, China.
authors.forename: Chengyong
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Qin
mesh_terms: D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology*; D002465:Cell Movement / Q000235:genetics; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000235:genetics; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000235:genetics; D003593:Cytoplasm / Q000235:genetics; D015870:Gene Expression; D056726:Genetic Association Studies; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology*; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness / Q000235:genetics; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D011379:Prognosis; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: C486657:MTA3 protein, human; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins
keywords: MTA3; hepatocellular carcinoma; metastasis and invasion; prognosis; tumor progression