Figure 2.

The imbalance of TGF-β1/BMP-7 pathways was validated at the protein level in HCC and was associated with aggressive pathological features and poor clinical outcomes

(A and B) Representative images of IHC staining for TGF-β1/BMP-7 pathway components in cohort I. Scale bars, 50 μm. (C) Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showing survival rates based on the expression of TGF-β1/BMP-7 pathway components in cohort I. (D) Representative HCC tumor samples showing the expression of 4′,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI), hepatocyte paraffin antigen 1 (HepPar-1), TGFBR2, and ACVR1 by multispectral IF staining in cohort II. Scale bars, 50 μm. (E) Scatterplot depicting the correlation between TGFBR2 levels and ACVR1 levels in HepPar-1⁺ HCC cells in cohort II. (F and G) Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showing OS rates and DFS rates between the imbalanced group and balanced group in cohort II.