ArticleThe New England journal of medicine2013
Oncofetal gene SALL4 in aggressive hepatocellular carcinoma.
Article in The New England journal of medicine, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 133 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
133 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 260 citations in OpenAlex.
- SALL4 and microRNA: The Role of Let-7.Genes · 2021Pooled it
- Higher expression of SALL4 predicts poor cancer prognosis: A meta-analysis.Cancer biomarkers : section A of Disease markers · 2017Pooled it
- Oncofetal gene SALL4 and prognosis in cancer: A systematic review with meta-analysis.Oncotarget · 2017Pooled it
- Article
- SALL4 Is Required for YAP1-Dependent Malignant and Regenerative Hepatocyte-to-Cholangiocyte Reprogramming.Cancer research communications · 2025Article
- Pediatric Alpha-Fetoprotein-Producing Gastric Cancer Presenting With Dysphagia and Multiple Liver Tumors.Cancer reports (Hoboken, N.J.) · 2025Article
- Identification of malignant cells in single-cell transcriptomics data.Communications biology · 2025Review
- Cytoplasmic SALL4-A isoform expression as a diagnostic marker of less aggressive tumor behavior in gastric cancer.World journal of surgical oncology · 2025Article
- Oncofetal MCB1 Is a Functional Biomarker for HCC Personalized Therapy.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2024Article
- Tumour stemness and poor clinical outcomes in haemochromatosis patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.Journal of clinical pathology · 2024Article
- The association between tumour heterogeneity and immune evasion mechanisms in hepatocellular carcinoma and its clinical implications.British journal of cancer · 2024Review
- Oncofetal SNRPE promotes HCC tumorigenesis by regulating the FGFR4 expression through alternative splicing.British journal of cancer · 2024Article
- SALL4 in gastrointestinal tract cancers: upstream and downstream regulatory mechanisms.Molecular medicine (Cambridge, Mass.) · 2024Review
- High serum alpha-fetoprotein and positive immunohistochemistry of alpha-fetoprotein are related to poor prognosis of gastric cancer with liver metastasis.Scientific reports · 2024Review
- ZBTB7B is a permissive regulator of hepatocellular carcinoma initiation by repressing c-Jun expression and function.Cell death & disease · 2024Article
- Loss of ESRP2 Activates TAK1-MAPK Signaling through the Fetal RNA-Splicing Program to Promote Hepatocellular Carcinoma Progression.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2024Article
- mJournal of hepatocellular carcinoma · 2024Article
- Mechanisms of angiogenesis in tumour.Frontiers in oncology · 2024Review
- Presence of onco-fetal neighborhoods in hepatocellular carcinoma is associated with relapse and response to immunotherapy.Nature cancer · 2024Article
- Single-cell transcriptomic analysis of gingivo-buccal oral cancer reveals two dominant cellular programs.Cancer science · 2023Article
73 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
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Authors and funding
20 authors at 7 institutions in 4 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundHepatocellular carcinoma is the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. In the heterogeneous group of hepatocellular carcinomas, those with characteristics of embryonic stem-cell and progenitor-cell gene expression are associated with the worst prognosis. The oncofetal gene SALL4, a marker of a subtype of hepatocellular carcinoma with progenitor-like features, is associated with a poor prognosis and is a potential target for treatment.
methodsWe screened specimens obtained from patients with primary hepatocellular carcinoma for the expression of SALL4 and carried out a clinicopathological analysis. Loss-of-function studies were then performed to evaluate the role of SALL4 in hepatocarcinogenesis and its potential as a molecular target for therapy. To assess the therapeutic effects of a peptide that targets SALL4, we used in vitro functional and in vivo xenograft assays.
resultsSALL4 is an oncofetal protein that is expressed in the human fetal liver and silenced in the adult liver, but it is reexpressed in a subgroup of patients who have hepatocellular carcinoma and an unfavorable prognosis. Gene-expression analysis showed the enrichment of progenitor-like gene signatures with overexpression of proliferative and metastatic genes in SALL4-positive hepatocellular carcinomas. Loss-of-function studies confirmed the critical role of SALL4 in cell survival and tumorigenicity. Blocking SALL4-corepressor interactions released suppression of PTEN (the phosphatase and tensin homologue protein) and inhibited tumor formation in xenograft models in vivo.
conclusionsSALL4 is a marker for a progenitor subclass of hepatocellular carcinoma with an aggressive phenotype. The absence of SALL4 expression in the healthy adult liver enhances the potential of SALL4 as a treatment target in hepatocellular carcinoma. (Funded by the Singapore National Medical Research Council and others.).
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.