A comprehensive analysis identifies and validates NPC1 as a potential biomarker for prognosis in HCC
Niemann-Pick type C1 protein (NPC1), a key regulator of intracellular cholesterol transport and a transmembrane protein, has been implicated in carcinogenesis, particularly in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Despite the noted association, the specific role of NPC1 in HCC remains underexplored. In th...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-08-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Genetics |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fgene.2025.1588583/full |
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| author | Xingjun Lu Tianyao Gou Xuxing He Xia Chen Daqing Yang Xiaozhen Peng Xiaozhen Peng |
| author_facet | Xingjun Lu Tianyao Gou Xuxing He Xia Chen Daqing Yang Xiaozhen Peng Xiaozhen Peng |
| author_sort | Xingjun Lu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Niemann-Pick type C1 protein (NPC1), a key regulator of intracellular cholesterol transport and a transmembrane protein, has been implicated in carcinogenesis, particularly in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Despite the noted association, the specific role of NPC1 in HCC remains underexplored. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive analysis of NPC1 expression across diverse gene expression databases to elucidate its prognostic significance and functional interactions. Utilizing LinkedOmics for co-expression network analysis and KEGG for functional enrichment, we identified a set of genes co-expressed with NPC1 and its associated biological pathways. Our findings demonstrate that NPC1 is frequently upregulated and amplified in HCC tumor tissues, with higher expression levels significantly associated with reduced overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (RFS), and disease-free survival (DFS). Functional enrichment analysis of the top 50 positively correlated genes with NPC1 highlighted significant enrichment in pathways related to organelle fission, nuclear division, chromosomal region spindle formation, and centrosome function, suggesting a role for NPC1 in DNA replication processes. These findings establish a correlation between NPC1 expression and HCC prognosis, laying the groundwork for future studies to explore the therapeutic potential of NPC1 inhibition in HCC. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e5c8f52d62264a9b8eab15d0d14277b9 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1664-8021 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-08-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Genetics |
| spelling | doaj-art-e5c8f52d62264a9b8eab15d0d14277b92025-08-20T03:37:31ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Genetics1664-80212025-08-011610.3389/fgene.2025.15885831588583A comprehensive analysis identifies and validates NPC1 as a potential biomarker for prognosis in HCCXingjun Lu0Tianyao Gou1Xuxing He2Xia Chen3Daqing Yang4Xiaozhen Peng5Xiaozhen Peng6College of Laboratory Medicine, Hunan University of Medicine, Huaihua, ChinaXiangya Second Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, ChinaClinical Medicine Department, Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, ChinaDepartment of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan University of Medicine, Huaihua, ChinaCollege of Laboratory Medicine, Hunan University of Medicine, Huaihua, ChinaCollege of Laboratory Medicine, Hunan University of Medicine, Huaihua, ChinaHunan Provincial Key Laboratory for Synthetic Biology of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Hunan University of Medicine, Huaihua, ChinaNiemann-Pick type C1 protein (NPC1), a key regulator of intracellular cholesterol transport and a transmembrane protein, has been implicated in carcinogenesis, particularly in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Despite the noted association, the specific role of NPC1 in HCC remains underexplored. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive analysis of NPC1 expression across diverse gene expression databases to elucidate its prognostic significance and functional interactions. Utilizing LinkedOmics for co-expression network analysis and KEGG for functional enrichment, we identified a set of genes co-expressed with NPC1 and its associated biological pathways. Our findings demonstrate that NPC1 is frequently upregulated and amplified in HCC tumor tissues, with higher expression levels significantly associated with reduced overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (RFS), and disease-free survival (DFS). Functional enrichment analysis of the top 50 positively correlated genes with NPC1 highlighted significant enrichment in pathways related to organelle fission, nuclear division, chromosomal region spindle formation, and centrosome function, suggesting a role for NPC1 in DNA replication processes. These findings establish a correlation between NPC1 expression and HCC prognosis, laying the groundwork for future studies to explore the therapeutic potential of NPC1 inhibition in HCC.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fgene.2025.1588583/fullNPC1prognosisbiomarkerHCCtherapeutic target |
| spellingShingle | Xingjun Lu Tianyao Gou Xuxing He Xia Chen Daqing Yang Xiaozhen Peng Xiaozhen Peng A comprehensive analysis identifies and validates NPC1 as a potential biomarker for prognosis in HCC Frontiers in Genetics NPC1 prognosis biomarker HCC therapeutic target |
| title | A comprehensive analysis identifies and validates NPC1 as a potential biomarker for prognosis in HCC |
| title_full | A comprehensive analysis identifies and validates NPC1 as a potential biomarker for prognosis in HCC |
| title_fullStr | A comprehensive analysis identifies and validates NPC1 as a potential biomarker for prognosis in HCC |
| title_full_unstemmed | A comprehensive analysis identifies and validates NPC1 as a potential biomarker for prognosis in HCC |
| title_short | A comprehensive analysis identifies and validates NPC1 as a potential biomarker for prognosis in HCC |
| title_sort | comprehensive analysis identifies and validates npc1 as a potential biomarker for prognosis in hcc |
| topic | NPC1 prognosis biomarker HCC therapeutic target |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fgene.2025.1588583/full |
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