MiR-199a/b-5p inhibits hepatocellular carcinoma progression by post-transcriptionally suppressing ROCK1 MiR-199a/b-5p inhibits hepatocellular carcinoma progression by post-transcriptionally suppressing ROCK1

SOCS1 is a key regulator of cytokine signaling and is important for maintaining balance in the immune system. It is thought to participate in negative feedback loops in cytokine signaling and may be an important signal for the regulation of dendritic cell (DC) maturation. However, it remains unclear whether DCs transduced with SOCS1 exhibit characteristics of regulatory DCs and induce allogeneic T-cell hyporesponsiveness. In this study, we constructed adenoviral vector coding SOCS1 (Ad-SOCS1) that can efficiently increase SOCS1 gene expression in bone marrow-derived dendritic cells. DCs transduced with Ad-SOCS1 (DC-SOCS1) expressed low levels of costimulatory and MHC molecules, were resistant to maturation and activation stimulation, induced allogeneic T-cell hyporesponsiveness, and promoted the generation of regulatory-like T cells in vitro. DC-SOCS1 pretreatment significantly prolonged the survival of allografts and led to a substantial increase in the generation of regulatory T cells. Our data suggest that SOCS1 inhibits DC maturation and induces regulatory DC generation, therefore possessing therapeutic potential to prevent rejection in organ transplantation.

Several studies have investigated the effect of intraoperative blood loss (IBL) on recurrence of tumors. However, the independent effect of IBL on oncological outcome after liver transplantation (LT) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is unclear. A total of 479 patients who underwent LT for HCC from January 2001 to December 2012 at our institution were enrolled in this retrospective study. Kaplan–Meier and Cox regression methods were used to assess the recurrence rate, as well as its risk factors. Stratified analysis was performed to further examine the effect of IBL on HCC recurrence according to different characteristics of tumors. We also investigated the independent risk factors for excessive IBL using logistic regression analysis. The median follow-up was 28 months (range, 1–131 months). Kaplan–Meier analysis with the log-rank test according to IBL at per liter intervals showed that IBL > 4 L was significantly associated with a higher recurrence rate (P < 0.001). Multivariate analysis identified that IBL > 4 L (P < 0.001; hazard ratio [HR] = 2.32, 95 % confidence interval [CI] = 1.60–3.36) was an independent risk factor for post-LT HCC recurrence, as well as age < 60 years, exceeding Milan criteria, α-fetoprotein levels > 400 ng/mL, and micro- and macrovascular invasion. IBL > 4 L (P < 0.001; HR = 2.45, 95 % CI = 1.64–3.66) was also independently associated with early (within 1 year) recurrence after LT. Furthermore, a significant correlation between IBL > 4 L and vascular invasion (P = 0.019) was found. IBL > 4 L was independently associated with HCC recurrence for patients with vascular invasion, but not for patients without vascular invasion. Finally, we found that the presence of ascites, model for end-stage liver disease score, and operation time were independent risk factors for IBL > 4 L. Excessive IBL is an independent predictor of HCC recurrence after LT, especially in patients with vascular invasion.

Treatment with an SLC12A1 antagonist inhibits tumorigenesis in a subset of hepatocellular carcinomas