Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT: Background
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a prevalent malignant tumor that poses a major threat to people's lives and health. Previous studies have found that multiple deubiquitinating enzymes are involved in the pathogenesis of HCC. The purpose of this work was to elucidate the function and mechanism of the deubiquitinating enzyme USP40 in HCC progression.Methods
The expression of USP40 in human HCC tissues and HCC cell lines was investigated using RT-qPCR, western blotting and immunohistochemistry (IHC). Both in vitro and in vivo experiments were conducted to determine the crucial role of USP40 in HCC progression. The interaction between USP40 and Claudin1 was identified by immunofluorescence, co-immunoprecipitation and ubiquitination assays.Results
We discovered that USP40 is elevated in HCC tissues and predicts poor prognosis in HCC patients. USP40 knockdown inhibits HCC cell proliferation, migration and stemness, whereas USP40 overexpression shows the opposite impact. Furthermore, we confirmed that Claudin1 is a downstream gene of USP40. Mechanistically, USP40 interacts with Claudin1 and inhibits its polyubiquitination to stabilize Claudin1 protein.Conclusions
Our study reveals that USP40 enhances HCC malignant development by deubiquitinating and stabilizing Claudin1, suggesting that targeting USP40 may be a novel approach for HCC therapy.
SUBMITTER: Wu Q
PROVIDER: S-EPMC10837946 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Feb
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

Wu Qingsong Q Qiu Yuanyuan Y Guo Jinhui J Yuan Zibo Z Yang Yingnan Y Zhu Qingwei Q Zhang Zhe Z Guo Junwei J Wu Yanfang Y Zhang Junyu J Huang Dongsheng D Tu Kangsheng K Hu Xiaoge X
Biology direct 20240202 1
<h4>Background</h4>Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a prevalent malignant tumor that poses a major threat to people's lives and health. Previous studies have found that multiple deubiquitinating enzymes are involved in the pathogenesis of HCC. The purpose of this work was to elucidate the function and mechanism of the deubiquitinating enzyme USP40 in HCC progression.<h4>Methods</h4>The expression of USP40 in human HCC tissues and HCC cell lines was investigated using RT-qPCR, western blotting a ...[more]