Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40244558›Full record

ArticleBiochemical genetics2026

Integrative Analysis the Role of ENG as a Metabolic and Macrophage-Related Gene in Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Songsong Fan, Yuhong Tang, Jun Cao, Rui Peng, Bingbing Su, Daoyuan Tu, Weidi Yu, Chen Chen, Shunyi Wang, Shengjie Jin and 3 more

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Article in Biochemical genetics, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

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3 · Its place in the literature

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

13 authors.

Songsong Fan *Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Northern Jiangsu People's Hospital Affiliated to Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225000, China.
Yuhong Tang *Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Northern Jiangsu People's Hospital Affiliated to Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225000, China.
Jun CaoDepartment of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Northern Jiangsu People's Hospital Affiliated to Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225000, China.
Rui PengDepartment of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Northern Jiangsu People's Hospital Affiliated to Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225000, China.
Bingbing SuDepartment of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Northern Jiangsu People's Hospital Affiliated to Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225000, China.
Daoyuan TuDepartment of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Northern Jiangsu People's Hospital Affiliated to Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225000, China.
Weidi YuDepartment of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Northern Jiangsu People's Hospital Affiliated to Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225000, China.
Chen ChenDepartment of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Northern Jiangsu People's Hospital Affiliated to Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225000, China.
Shunyi WangDepartment of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Northern Jiangsu People's Hospital Affiliated to Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225000, China.
Shengjie JinDepartment of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Northern Jiangsu People's Hospital, Yangzhou, 225000, China.
Guoqing JiangDepartment of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Northern Jiangsu People's Hospital Affiliated to Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225000, China.
Chi ZhangDepartment of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Northern Jiangsu People's Hospital Affiliated to Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225000, China.
Dousheng BaiDepartment of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Northern Jiangsu People's Hospital Affiliated to Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225000, China. drbaidousheng@yzu.edu.cn.

Funding

Beijing iGanDan Foundation GDXZ-08-19Cross-Cooperation Special Projects of the NJPH YJCHZ-2021-08National Natural Science Foundation of China 82203716National Natural Science Foundation of China 82373034Provincial-Level Discipline Leader of the NJPH DTRA202214Science and Technology Postgraduate Education and Research Development Office, Office of the Higher Education Commission KYCX22_3568, KYCX23_3617, and SJCX23_2028the "13th Five-Year Plan" Science and Education Strong Health Project Innovation Team of Yangzhou (LJRC20181 and YZCXTD201801
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

High levels of M2 macrophages often correlate with poor prognosis. Endoglin (ENG) is a potential target for anti-angiogenesis therapy in various cancers, but the link between M2 macrophages and metabolism-related genes (MRGs) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is unclear. We employed cibersort analysis to identify genes associated with M2 macrophages and metabolic reprogramming in HCC, utilizing data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) databases. TCGA data were stratified basis on ENG expression levels, and the relationships between ENG and relevant genes were assessed alongside clinical features. Furthermore, we validated ENG expression in HCC tissues and its correlation with M2 macrophages via qRT-PCR, Western blotting (WB), and immunohistochemistry (IHC). Patients with high ENG expression presented superior overall survival (OS) and longer progression-free survival (PFS). Univariate and multivariate regression analyses identified ENG as an independent prognostic predictor. Moreover, GSEA, GO, and KEGG analyses suggested a correlation between ENG-related gene expression and immunity, particularly TAMs. Additionally, ENG was found to reshape the tumor microenvironment (TME) of HCC and influence the response to immunotherapy. Single-cell analysis revealed the differential expression and distribution of ENG in the TME. In vitro experiments demonstrated lower ENG expression in HCC tissues than in paracancerous tissues, with a concomitant correlation with M2 macrophages. ENG emerges as a novel predictive marker for HCC, could reshap the TME and impacts the response to immunotherapy and provides a fresh perspective for investigating combined immunotherapy targeting MRGs in HCC.

Indexed as

Carcinoma, HepatocellularEndoglinLiver NeoplasmsMacrophagesBiomarkers, TumorFemaleGene Expression Regulation, NeoplasticHumansMaleMiddle AgedPrognosisTumor MicroenvironmentBiomarkers, TumorEndoglinENG protein, humanHepatocellular carcinomaImmune infiltratesM2 macrophageMetabolismTumor microenvironment

Identifiers

PMID40244558

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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.