PHD3 and HIF2α expression in HCC and adjacent non-tumor liver tissues. (A) PHD3 mRNA expression performed by qPCR demonstrated a higher average expression in HCC than in adjacent non-tumor liver tissues. (B) Low average expression of HIF2α mRNA in HCC tissues compared with adjacent non-tumor liver tissues determined by RT-qPCR. (C) Western blot analysis of PHD3 and HIF2α protein expression in HCC and adjacent non-tumor liver tissues. GAPDH was used as a loading control. (D) Average expression of PHD3 and HIF2a protein in HCC tissues compared with adjacent non-tumor liver tissues. Data are presented as the mean ± standard error of the mean (n=84). ***P<0.001 and **P<0.01 vs. N (Student's t-test). PHD3, prolyl hydroxylase 3; HCC, hepatocellular carcinoma; N, adjacent non-tumor liver tissues; HIF2α, hypoxia-inducible factor 2α; RT-qPCR, reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction.