Proto-Oncogene FAM50A Can Regulate the Immune Microenvironment and Development of Hepatocellular Carcinoma In Vitro and In Vivo

Sep 28, 2026

Uploaded by dawugda

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains a major global health threat characterized by high morbidity, high mortality, difficult early detection, and limited responsiveness to chemotherapy. Existing therapies include tyrosine kinase inhibitors such as sorafenib and lenvatinib, while immunotherapy has shown progress yet many patients do not benefit from systemic treatment. This study investigates whether the proto-oncogene FAM50A regulates the tumor immune microenvironment and HCC progression and evaluates diagnostic value and effects in vitro and in vivo.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages19

Reading Time48 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Risk factors and current diagnosis

Treatment challenges and need for biomarkers

FAM gene family and FAM50A background

Article Proto-Oncogene FAM50A Can Regulate the Immune Microenvironment and Development of Hepatocellular Carcinoma In Vitro and In Vivo Xudong Xie 1,†, Li Li 1,†, Shuai Tao 2, Mingsheng Chen 3, Ling Fei 1, Qunling Yang 1, Chenlu Huang 1 and Liang Chen 1, * Citation: Xie, X.; Li, L.; Tao, S.; Chen, M.; Fei, L.; Yang, Q.; Huang, C.; Chen, L. Proto-Oncogene FAM50A Can Regulate the Immune Microenvironment and Development of Hepatocellular Carcinoma In Vitro and In Vivo. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24, 3217. [https://doi.org/10.3390/](https://doi.org/10.3390/)[ ](https://doi.org/10.3390/)ijms24043217 Academic Editor: Hiroaki Taniguchi Received: 21 December 2022 Revised: 15 January 2023 Accepted: 17 January 2023 Published: 6 February 2023 Copyright: © 2023 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license ([https://](https://)[ ](https://)[creativecommons.org/licenses/by/](creativecommons.org/licenses/by/)[ ](creativecommons.org/licenses/by/)[4.0/](4.0/)) . 1 Liver Diseases Department, Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, Fudan University, Shanghai 201508, China 2 Research Unit, Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, Fudan University, Shanghai 201508, China 3 Research Center for Biomaterials, Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, Fudan University, Shanghai 201508, China * Correspondence: [chenliang@shphc.org.cn](chenliang@shphc.org.cn) † These authors contributed equally to this work. Abstract: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a vital global health problem. The characteristics are high morbidity, high mortality, difﬁculty in early diagnosis and insensitivity to chemotherapy. The main therapeutic schemes for treating HCC mainly include Tyrosine kinase inhibitors represented by sorafenib and lenvatinib. In recent years, immunotherapy for HCC has also achieved certain results. However, a great number of patients failed to beneﬁt from systemic therapies. FAM50A belongs to the FAM50 family and can be used as a DNA-binding protein or transcription factor. It may take part in the splicing of RNA precursors. In studies of cancer, FAM50A has been demonstrated to participate in the progression of myeloid breast cancer and chronic lymphocytic leukemia. However, the effect of FAM50A on HCC is still unknown. In this study, we have demonstrated the cancer-promoting effects and diagnostic value of FAM50A in HCC using multiple databases and surgical samples. Weidentiﬁed the role of FAM50A in the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) and immunotherapy efﬁcacy in HCC. We also proved the effects of FAM50A on the malignancy of HCC in vitro and in vivo. In conclusion, we conﬁrmed that FAM50A is an important proto-oncogene in HCC. FAM50A acts as a diagnostic marker, immunomodulator and therapeutic target for HCC. Keywords: hepatocellular carcinoma; FAM50A; prognostic value; immune cell inﬁltration; stemness degree; epithelial–mesenchymal transition; cell cycle; apoptosis; malignancy; xenotransplanted tumor 1. Introduction HCC is the sixth most common cause of cancer (4.7%) and the third leading cause of cancer death (8.3%) worldwide [1] . The main risk factors of HCC principally comprise hepatitis virus, non-viral hepatitis, aﬂatoxin and alcoholism [2] . Methods for diagnosing and treating HCC have improved in recent years, including imageological examination of the liver and serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) [3] . A detection kit based on seven microRNAs [4] and the GALAD diagnostic model [5] has also been used. However, due to the insidious onset of HCC, no more than 30% of patients can be diagnosed at an early stage and receive radical treatment. For those who get advanced HCC, systematic antitumor therapies can only control the progression and prolong the survival time. According to statistics, in the United States [6] and Asia [7], the ﬁve-year survival rate of HCC patients is only

FAQs

Why is hepatocellular carcinoma difficult to treat and diagnose early?

HCC has insidious onset, leading to less than 30% of patients diagnosed at an early stage. It also shows high mortality and insensitivity to chemotherapy, even though diagnosis and imaging methods have improved.

What is FAM50A, and what is known about its function?

FAM50A is a member of the FAM50 gene family and functions as a DNA-binding protein or transcription factor. It may also participate in splicing of RNA precursors and has been linked to progression in other cancers.

What does the study demonstrate about FAM50A in HCC?

The work supports cancer-promoting effects and diagnostic value of FAM50A in HCC. It identifies roles for FAM50A in the tumor immune microenvironment and in immunotherapy efficacy, with effects confirmed in vitro and in vivo.

Sep 28, 2026

Uploaded by dawugda