Upregulation of ABLIM1 Differentiates Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma from Hepatocellular Carcinoma and Both Colorectal and Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma Liver Metastases

Sep 21, 2026

Altered gene expression in cancers offers improved diagnostics and clearer separation of primary and metastatic liver malignancies. This study evaluated protein-coding genes RNF135, EFNB2, RNF125, HOXC4, ABLIM1, OSMR and lncRNAs PROX1-AS1 and LIFR-AS1 across hepatocellular carcinoma, intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, and liver metastases from colorectal and pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. Using 149 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded samples from 80 patients and RT-qPCR with ΔΔCq analysis, ABLIM1 was markedly upregulated in cholangiocarcinoma versus HCC and metastases. The findings support ABLIM1 as a candidate biomarker for differentiation.

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CategoryResearch & Report

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1. Introduction

Article Upregulation of ABLIM1 Differentiates Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma from Hepatocellular Carcinoma and Both Colorectal and Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma Liver Metastases Tina Draškoviˇc , Branislava Rankovi´c , Nina Zidar and Nina Hauptman * Citation: Draškoviˇc, T.; Rankovi´c, B.; Zidar, N.; Hauptman, N. Upregulation of ABLIM1 Differentiates Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma from Hepatocellular Carcinoma and Both Colorectal and Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma Liver Metastases. Genes 2024, 15, 1545. [https://doi.org/](https://doi.org/)[ ](https://doi.org/)[10.3390/genes15121545](10.3390/genes15121545) Academic Editors: Yutaka Suzuki and Gokce A. Toruner Received: 19 October 2024 Revised: 22 November 2024 Accepted: 26 November 2024 Published: 28 November 2024 Copyright: © 2024 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/)) . Institute of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia; [tina.draskovic@mf.uni-lj.si](tina.draskovic@mf.uni-lj.si) (T.D.); [branislava.rankovic@mf.uni-lj.si](branislava.rankovic@mf.uni-lj.si) (B.R.); [nina.zidar@mf.uni-lj.si](nina.zidar@mf.uni-lj.si) (N.Z.) * [Correspondence: nina.hauptman@mf.uni-lj.si](Correspondence: nina.hauptman@mf.uni-lj.si); Tel.: +386-1-543-7184 Abstract: Background: Altered gene expression in cancers holds great potential to improve the diagnostics and differentiation of primary and metastatic liver cancers. In this study, the expression of the protein-coding genes ring finger protein 135 (RNF135), ephrin-B2 (EFNB2), ring finger protein 125 (RNF125), homeobox-C 4 (HOXC4), actin-binding LIM protein 1 (ABLIM1) and oncostatin M receptor (OSMR) and the long non-coding RNAs (lncRNA) prospero homeobox 1 antisense RNA 1 (PROX1-AS1) and leukemia inhibitory factor receptor antisense RNA 1 (LIFR-AS1) was investigated in hepatocellular carcinoma, cholangiocarcinoma, colorectal liver metastases and pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma liver metastases. Methods: This study included 149 formalin-fixed, paraffinembedded samples from 80 patients. After RNA isolation, quantification, reverse transcription and preamplification, real-time qPCR was performed. The gene expression between different groups was calculated relative to the expression of the reference genes using the ∆∆Cq method and statistically analyzed. The expression of the genes was additionally analyzed using the AmiCA and UCSC Xena platforms. Results: In primary cancers, our results showed differential expression between primary tumors and healthy tissues for all the genes and lncRNA examined. Moreover, we found downregulation of RNF135 in hepatocellular carcinoma, downregulation of OSMR in colorectal liver metastases and upregulation of HOXC4 in cholangiocarcinoma compared to primary liver cancersand metastatic cancers. The major finding is the upregulation of ABLIM1 in cholangiocarcinoma compared to hepatocellular carcinoma, colorectal liver metastases, pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma liver metastases and healthy liver tissue. We propose ABLIM1 as a potential biomarker that differentiates cholangiocarcinoma from other cancers and healthy liver tissue. Conclusions: This study emphasizes the importance of understanding the differences in gene expression between healthy tissues and primary and metastatic cancers and highlights the potential use of altered gene expression as a diagnostic biomarker in these malignancies. Keywords: hepatocellular carcinoma; cholangiocarcinoma; colorectal carcinoma; pancreatic ductaladenocarcinoma; colorectal liver metastases; pancreatic adenocarcinoma liver metastases; mRNA; lncRNA; gene expression; ABLIM1 1. Introduction The majority of malignant disea

FAQs

Which genes and lncRNAs were investigated in the study?

The study examined RNF135, EFNB2, RNF125, HOXC4, ABLIM1, and OSMR, plus the lncRNAs PROX1-AS1 and LIFR-AS1.

How were gene expression differences measured across cancer groups?

Expression was assessed using RNA isolation, quantification, reverse transcription, and real-time qPCR, with group comparisons calculated using the ΔΔCq method and analyzed statistically.

What was the key finding regarding ABLIM1?

ABLIM1 was upregulated in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma compared with hepatocellular carcinoma, colorectal liver metastases, pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma liver metastases, and healthy liver tissue.

Sep 21, 2026

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