Fig. 9. Schematic diagram of TDP-43 suppressing apoptosis by modulating ABHD2 in HCC.

TDP-43 binds with the 3ʹUTR of ABHD2 mRNA to enhance its mRNA stability, thereby upregulating ABHD2 expression. Elevated-ABHD2 catalyzes the metabolic process of TG to FFAs, thus promoting the β-oxidation pathway and increasing the production of ROS, finally resulting in the suppression of apoptosis and facilitation of proliferation in HCC.