Fig. 1: ONECUT2 is overexpressed in HCC tissues and accelerates HCC metastasis.

A Left: ONECUT2 mRNA levels were detected in 15 normal liver tissues and 60 pairs of HCC and adjacent nontumor tissues by RT-PCR. Middle: ONECUT2 mRNA levels in HCC samples from patients with recurrence (n = 34) or without recurrence (n = 26). Right: ONECUT2 mRNA levels in HCC samples from patients with metastasis (n = 23) or without metastasis (n = 37). B Representative IHC staining (left) and RT-PCR (right) showing ONECUT2 levels in 20 pairs of fresh metastatic and matched primary HCC tissues and adjacent nontumor tissues. C Representative IHC staining (left) and IHC scores (right) showing ONECUT2 levels in two HCC cohorts. D Prognosis of HCC patients was compared between negative and positive ONECUT2 expression group by Kaplan–Meier method in two HCC cohorts. E RT-PCR (left) and western blotting (right) showing ONECUT2 levels in normal liver tissues and HCC cells. F Protein levels of ONECUT2 were measured by western blotting when PLC/PRF/5 cells were transfected with ONECUT2-overexpressing lentivirus and when MHCC97H cells were transfected with ONECUT2-silencing lentivirus. G Transwell assays were used to evaluate migration and invasion of ONECUT2-overexpressing PLC/PRF/5 cells and ONECUT2-silencing MHCC97H cells. ONECUT2 overexpression promoted HCC metastasis. Representative bioluminescent imaging (H), bioluminescent signals (I), the incidence of pulmonary metastasis (J), number of pulmonary metastasis foci (K), overall survival (L), and H&E staining of the lungs (M) among four groups with ten mice in each group 9 weeks after orthotopic implantation of the indicated cells. Data are mean ± SD. *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01, ***P < 0.001.