Fig.1.

Elevated VCP expression is associated with poor prognosis and promotes HCC growth in vivo. A–D The mRNA expression of VCP was elevated in HCC samples compared with nontumorous in GEO datasets including GSE121248, GSE136247, GSE41804, and GSE14520. E, F The HCC cohort from TCGA database presented the increase of VCP in tumor samples and various disease grades. G, H The clinical significance of VCP expression in overall and disease-free survivals in HCC patients was evaluated in the TCGA cohort. I The expression of VCP in HCC and normal tissues from 44 pairs of clinical samples was detected by IHC. The representative images and the statistical result of IHC scores were displayed. J The protein expression of VCP in human HCC cell lines (Huh7 and MHCC-LM3) and immortalized hepatic cell line (L02) was determined by western blot. The statistical analysis was further analyzed. K, N The nude mice were injected with MHCC-LM3 cells with stable VCP overexpression and Huh7 cells with stable VCP depletion, respectively, in the right flank followed by monitoring growth for three weeks. The tumor volumes were measured every 3 days. L, O The differences in tumor weight in various groups when mice were sacrificed. M, P The representative morphology of tumors in nude mice. TCGA: The Cancer Genome Atlas. GEO: Gene Expression Omnibus. IHC: immunohistochemistry. All *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01, ***P < 0.001, and ****P < 0.0001