Suppressing CSTB Enhances Therapeutic Efficacy against Liver Cancer

초록

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignancies worldwide and remains the leading cause of cancer-related deaths. The identification of reliable biomarkers for HCC is urgently needed to improve prognosis and treatment outcomes. Cystatin B (CSTB), a member of the cysteine protease inhibitor superfamily, is known to maintain cellular homeostasis and plays a key role in neuronal stability, but its role in HCC development is not fully understood. In this study, we investigated the prognostic significance of CSTB in HCC. CSTB gene expression was markedly elevated in patients with HCC and high CSTB expression was significantly associated with poorer overall survival. We also found that several HCC cell lines exhibited substantially higher CSTB protein levels compared with other cancer cell lines, especially, PLC/PRF/5. Furthermore, knockdown of CSTB reduced the cell viability of HCC cell lines. These findings suggest that targeting CSTB in HCC with specific inhibitors may represent a potential therapeutic approach for HCC.

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