ArticlePloS one2015
Gamma-smooth muscle actin expression is associated with epithelial-mesenchymal transition and stem-like properties in hepatocellular carcinoma.
Article in PloS one, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers.
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Who cites it
12 citing papers in PubMed, 24 citations in OpenAlex.
- October in focus in HCB.Histochemistry and cell biology · 2025Article
- Gamma smooth muscle actin as a new potential marker of cancer-associated fibroblasts.Histochemistry and cell biology · 2025Article
- Single-cell sequencing analysis reveals development and differentiation trajectory of Schwann cells manipulated by M. leprae.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2023Article
- Self-Assembled Peptide Habitats to Model Tumor Metastasis.Gels (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
- The remodelling of actin composition as a hallmark of cancer.Translational oncology · 2021Review
- Article
- Quantitative Expression of Key Cancer Markers in the AS-30D Hepatocarcinoma Model.Frontiers in oncology · 2021Article
- Eosinophilic oesophagitis endotype classification by molecular, clinical, and histopathological analyses: a cross-sectional study.The lancet. Gastroenterology & hepatology · 2018Observational
- Differentiation-inducing therapeutic effect of Notch inhibition in reversing malignant transformation of liver normal stem cells via MET.Oncotarget · 2018Article
- MiR-520f promotes cell aggressiveness by regulating fibroblast growth factor 16 in hepatocellular carcinoma.Oncotarget · 2017Article
- Hepatocyte selection medium-enriched hepatocellular carcinoma cells are positive for α-fetoprotein and CD44.Oncology letters · 2017Article
- Fascin Induces Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition of Cholangiocarcinoma Cells by Regulating Wnt/β-Catenin Signaling.Medical science monitor : international medical journal of experimental and clinical research · 2016Article
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Authors and funding
10 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND
aimsThe prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is hampered by frequent tumour recurrence and metastases. Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition (EMT) is now recognized as a key process in tumour invasion, metastasis and the generation of cancer initiating cells. The morphological identification of EMT in tumour samples from the expression of novel mesenchymal markers could provide relevant prognostic information and aid in understanding the metastatic process.
methodsThe expression of Smooth Muscle Actins was studied using immunofluorescence and immunohistochemistry assays in cultured liver cells during an induced EMT process and in liver specimens from adult and paediatric HCC series.
resultsWe report here that in HCC cell lines treated with TGF-β and in HCC specimens, the expression of αSMA, a known mesenchymal marker of EMT, could never be detected. In addition, our in vitro studies identified the enteric form of SMA, γSMA, as being a marker of EMT. Moreover, this SMA isoform was expressed in 46% of 58 tumours from 42 adult HCC patients and in 90% of 16 tumours from 12 paediatric HCC patients. Interestingly, this expression was significantly correlated with poor tumour differentiation and progenitor cell features characterized by the expression of EpCAM and K19.
conclusionTaken together, our results support the conclusion that γSMA expression in HCC is strongly correlated with the EMT process, HCC aggressiveness and the identification of cancer stem cells. This correlation suggests that γSMA represents a novel and powerful marker to predict HCC progression.
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