NLRC5, a valuable marker for the diagnosis and prognostic assessment of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background: NLR family CARD domain containing 5 (NLRC5) is involved the initiation and progression of several cancers. However, its role in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is still unclear. This study aimed to explore the expression, clinical significance, and regulated gene sets of NLRC5 in HCC.

Methods: Data related to NLRC5 was extracted from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database and analyzed. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was conducted to verify the NLRC5 mRNA expression in HCC. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) and western blot were performed to detect the NLRC5 protein level in HCC. The clinical significance of NLRC5 was investigated after separating patients into NLRC5-positive and NLRC5-negative groups based on the IHC results. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was performed to detect gene sets regulated by NLRC5 in HCC.

Results: Increased NLRC5 mRNA and protein expression were found in HCC tissues compared to paracancerous tissues. Moreover, enhanced NLRC5 protein expression was associated with a higher presence rate of cirrhosis, a higher TNM stage, and a shorter 3-year overall survival (OS) of HCC participants. Finally, gene sets related to cancer metastasis were up-regulated in the NLRC5 high phenotype.

Conclusions: NLRC5 is a potential marker for the diagnosis and prognostic assessment of HCC.