Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35186805›Full record

ArticleJournal of hepatocellular carcinoma2022

CtBP1 Mediates Hypoxia-Induced Sarcomatoid Transformation in Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Xiaoling Zhang, Xiaoyu Wang, Liting Jia, Yang Yang, Fan Yang, Shengjun Xiao

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of hepatocellular carcinoma, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
0.8field-weighted citation impact, top 32% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed, 10 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. International journal of molecular sciences · 2026
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Xiaoling Zhang *Department of Physiology, Faculty of Basic Medical Science, Guilin Medical University, Guilin, People's Republic of China.ORCID 0000-0001-5345-6608
Xiaoyu Wang *Department of Pathology, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Guilin Medical University, Guilin, People's Republic of China.
Liting JiaDepartment of Pathology, Affiliated Hospital of Hebei Engineering University, Handan, People's Republic of China.
Yang YangDepartment of Pathology, General Hospital of Central Theater Command, Wuhan, People's Republic of China.
Fan YangDepartment of Pathology, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Guilin Medical University, Guilin, People's Republic of China.
Shengjun XiaoKey Laboratory of Tumor Immunology and Microenvironmental Regulation of Guangxi, Guilin Medical University, Guilin, People's Republic of China.ORCID 0000-0001-6731-1899
Guilin Medical University · CNGeneral Hospital of Central Theater CommandHebei University of Engineering · CN

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundSarcomatoid hepatocellular carcinoma (sHCC), a highly aggressive subtype of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), mostly transforms from classical hepatocellular carcinoma (cHCC). The study intended to explore the role of C-terminal binding protein 1 (CtBP1) in sarcomatoid transformation of hepatocellular carcinoma.

methodsWestern blotting and/or immunohistochemistry were used to confirm the expression of CtBP1 and other proteins in HCC cells, xenografts and clinical tissue samples. CtBP1 shRNA-expressing lentivirus was used to infect HepG2 cells to construct CtBP1 knockdown cells. Cell migration was determined by scratch wound assays and Transwell assays. Immunofluorescence was used to label the a-tubulin cytoskeleton to evaluate cell morphology. HepG2 cells were inoculated subcutaneously in nude mice to construct xenografts and beneath the liver capsule to evaluate in vivo metastasis.

resultsCompared to that in the cHCC area, CtBP1 expression was significantly upregulated in the sHCC area, as shown by immunohistochemistry. HE staining showed that cells in the sHCC area were spindle-shaped, while those in the cHCC area were polygonal. Immunohistochemically, the epithelial markers pancytokeratin (CK) and E-cadherin were partially or completely lost, while the expression of the mesenchymal marker vimentin was upregulated in the sHCC area. Moreover, HepG2, an HCC cell line with high expression of CtBP1, autonomously underwent sarcomatoid transformation, showing a sarcomatoid morphology and phenotype. HIF1a expression was upregulated in epithelial cells adjacent to the sHCC area. Hypoxia upregulated CtBP1 protein expression and induced an EMT phenotype with increased migration and a spindle-shaped morphology in HepG2 cells. Knockdown of CtBP1 partially reversed the EMT phenotype induced by hypoxia. Silencing CtBP1 completely blocked the sarcomatoid transformation of subcutaneous xenografts and decreased lung metastasis in subcapsular xenografts of the liver in nude mice.

conclusionCtBP1 plays a key role in hypoxia-induced EMT and sarcomatoid transformation in HCC and could be a candidate target for the management of sHCC.

Indexed as

C-terminal binding protein 1epithelial-to-mesenchymal transitionhypoxiasarcomatoid hepatocellular carcinomasarcomatoid transformation

Identifiers

PMID35186805
PMCPMC8847960
OpenAlexW4211186058

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
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Registered trials

None linked

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.