Transcriptomic profiling reveals hepatic stem-like gene signatures and interplay of miR-200c and epithelial-mesenchymal transition in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articleResearchpeer-review

  • Naoki Oishi
  • Mia R Kumar
  • Stephanie Roessler
  • Junfang Ji
  • Marshonna Forgues
  • Anuradha Budhu
  • Xuelian Zhao
  • Andersen, Jesper Bøje
  • Qing-Hai Ye
  • Hu-Liang Jia
  • Lun-Xiu Qin
  • Taro Yamashita
  • Hyun Goo Woo
  • Yoon Jun Kim
  • Shuichi Kaneko
  • Zhao-You Tang
  • Snorri S Thorgeirsson
  • Xin Wei Wang
Intrahepatic cholangiocellular carcinoma (ICC) is the second most common type of primary liver cancer. However, its tumor heterogeneity and molecular characteristics are largely unknown. In this study, we conducted transcriptomic profiling of 23 ICC and combined hepatocellular cholangiocarcinoma tumor specimens from Asian patients using Affymetrix messenger RNA (mRNA) and NanoString microRNA microarrays to search for unique gene signatures linked to tumor subtypes and patient prognosis. We validated the signatures in an additional 68 ICC cases derived from Caucasian patients. We found that both mRNA and microRNA expression profiles could independently classify Asian ICC cases into two main subgroups, one of which shared gene expression signatures with previously identified hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with stem cell gene expression traits. ICC-specific gene signatures could predict survival in Asian HCC cases and independently in Caucasian ICC cases. Integrative analyses of the ICC-specific mRNA and microRNA expression profiles revealed that a common signaling pathway linking miR-200c signaling to epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) was preferentially activated in ICC with stem cell gene expression traits. Inactivation of miR-200c resulted in an induction of EMT, whereas activation of miR-200c led to a reduction of EMT including a reduced cell migration and invasion in ICC cells. We also found that miR-200c and neural cell adhesion molecule 1 (NCAM1) expression were negatively correlated and their expression levels were predictive of survival in ICC samples. NCAM1, a known hepatic stem/progenitor cell marker, was experimentally demonstrated to be a direct target of miR-200c.
Original languageEnglish
JournalHepatology
Volume56
Issue number5
Pages (from-to)1792-803
Number of pages12
ISSN0270-9139
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Nov 2012
Externally publishedYes

    Research areas

  • Antigens, CD56, Asian Continental Ancestry Group, Bile Duct Neoplasms, Bile Ducts, Intrahepatic, Carcinoma, Hepatocellular, Cell Line, Tumor, Cholangiocarcinoma, Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition, European Continental Ancestry Group, Gene Expression Profiling, Humans, Kaplan-Meier Estimate, Liver Neoplasms, MicroRNAs, Neoplastic Stem Cells, RNA, Messenger, Signal Transduction

ID: 97138235