Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39167427›Full record

ArticleHepatology communications2024

GATA4 downregulation enhances CCL20-mediated immunosuppression in hepatocellular carcinoma.

N Jannah M Nasir, Samuel Chuah, Timothy Shuen, Aldo Prawira, Rebecca Ba, Mei Chee Lim, Joelle Chua, Phuong H D Nguyen, Chun J Lim, Martin Wasser and 21 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Hepatology communications, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Association of IL4I1Frontiers in immunology · 2026
    Article
  3. Review
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

31 authors.

N Jannah M NasirTranslational Immunology Institute (TII), SingHealth-DukeNUS Academic Medical Centre, Singapore.ORCID 0000-0003-3700-9036
Samuel ChuahTranslational Immunology Institute (TII), SingHealth-DukeNUS Academic Medical Centre, Singapore.
Timothy ShuenDivision of Medical Oncology, National Cancer Centre Singapore, Singapore.ORCID 0000-0001-9305-7652
Aldo PrawiraTranslational Immunology Institute (TII), SingHealth-DukeNUS Academic Medical Centre, Singapore.
Rebecca BaDivision of Medical Oncology, National Cancer Centre Singapore, Singapore.
Mei Chee LimDuke-NUS Medical School, Singapore.
Joelle ChuaDivision of Medical Oncology, National Cancer Centre Singapore, Singapore.
Phuong H D NguyenTranslational Immunology Institute (TII), SingHealth-DukeNUS Academic Medical Centre, Singapore.
Chun J LimTranslational Immunology Institute (TII), SingHealth-DukeNUS Academic Medical Centre, Singapore.
Martin WasserTranslational Immunology Institute (TII), SingHealth-DukeNUS Academic Medical Centre, Singapore.
Sharifah N HazirahTranslational Immunology Institute (TII), SingHealth-DukeNUS Academic Medical Centre, Singapore.
Tony K H LimDuke-NUS Medical School, Singapore.
Wei Qiang LeowDuke-NUS Medical School, Singapore.
Tracy Jiezhen LohDuke-NUS Medical School, Singapore.
Wei Keat WanDuke-NUS Medical School, Singapore.
Yin Huei PangDepartment of Pathology, National University Hospital, Singapore.
Gwyneth SoonDepartment of Pathology, National University Hospital, Singapore.
Peng Chung CheowDuke-NUS Medical School, Singapore.
Juinn Huar KamDuke-NUS Medical School, Singapore.
Shridhar IyerDepartment of Surgery, Division of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, University Surgical Cluster, National University Health System, Singapore.
Alfred KowDepartment of Surgery, Division of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, University Surgical Cluster, National University Health System, Singapore.
Yock Young DanDepartment of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, National University Hospital, Singapore.
Glenn K BonneyDepartment of Surgery, Division of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, University Surgical Cluster, National University Health System, Singapore.
Alexander ChungDuke-NUS Medical School, Singapore.
Brian K P GohDuke-NUS Medical School, Singapore.
Pierce K H ChowDuke-NUS Medical School, Singapore.
Salvatore AlbaniTranslational Immunology Institute (TII), SingHealth-DukeNUS Academic Medical Centre, Singapore.
Weiwei ZhaiGenome Institute of Singapore (GIS), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore.
John F OuyangDuke-NUS Medical School, Singapore.
Han Chong TohDuke-NUS Medical School, Singapore.
Valerie ChewTranslational Immunology Institute (TII), SingHealth-DukeNUS Academic Medical Centre, Singapore.ORCID 0000-0002-5617-0936

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundHepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a deadly cancer with a high global mortality rate, and the downregulation of GATA binding protein 4 (GATA4) has been implicated in HCC progression. In this study, we investigated the role of GATA4 in shaping the immune landscape of HCC.

methodsHCC tumor samples were classified into "low" or "normal/high" based on GATA4 RNA expression relative to adjacent non-tumor liver tissues. The immune landscapes of GATA4-low and GATA4-normal/high tumors were analyzed using cytometry by time-of-flight, bulk/spatial transcriptomic analyses and validated by multiplex immunofluorescence.

resultsGATA4-low tumors displayed enrichment in exhausted programmed cell death protein 1+ T cells, immunosuppressive regulatory T cells, myeloid-derived suppressor cells, and macrophages, highlighting the impact of GATA4 downregulation on immunosuppression. Spatial and bulk transcriptomic analyses revealed a negative correlation between GATA4 and C-C Motif Chemokine Ligand 20 (CCL20) expression in HCC. Overexpressing GATA4 confirmed CCL20 as a downstream target, contributing to an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment, as evidenced by increased regulatory T cells and myeloid-derived suppressor cells in CCL20-high tumors. Lastly, the reduced expression of GATA4 and higher expression of CCL20 were associated with poorer overall survival in patients with HCC, implicating their roles in tumor progression.

conclusionsOur study reveals that GATA4 downregulation contributes to an immunosuppressive microenvironment, driven by CCL20-mediated enrichment of regulatory T cells and myeloid-derived suppressor cells in HCC. These findings underscore the critical role of GATA4 reduction in promoting immunosuppression and HCC progression.

Indexed as

Carcinoma, HepatocellularChemokine CCL20Down-RegulationGATA4 Transcription FactorLiver NeoplasmsTumor MicroenvironmentGene Expression Regulation, NeoplasticHumansImmune ToleranceMaleMyeloid-Derived Suppressor CellsT-Lymphocytes, RegulatoryCCL20 protein, humanChemokine CCL20GATA4 protein, humanGATA4 Transcription Factor

Identifiers

PMID39167427
PMCPMC11340929

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

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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.