FBXW10 promotes hepatocarcinogenesis in male patients and mice.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is reported to associate with abnormal expression of SCF E3 ubiquitin ligases. FBXW10, an F-box protein of the E3 ubiquitin ligases, was abnormally regulated in HCC patients. However, whether FBXW10 is associated with HCC has not yet been evaluated. Here, we analyzed the associations between overall survival and various risk factors in 191 HCC tissues. Univariate and multivariate analyses demonstrated that FBXW10 was an independent risk factor related to HCC prognosis. The results showed that FBXW10, gender and tumor state were strongly associated with overall survival in HCC patients. Furthermore, high expression of FBXW10 was associated with poor survival among male HCC patients but not female HCC patients. FBXW10 was more highly expressed in male HCC tissues and more strongly related to vascular invasion in male HCC patients. Consistent with these findings, the male FBXW10-Tg(+) mice were more susceptible to tumorigenesis, changes in regenerative capacity, and liver injury and inflammation but not changes in liver function than FBXW10-Tg(-) mice. FBXW10 promoted cell proliferation and migration in HCC cell lines. Our findings reveal that FBXW10, an independent risk factor for HCC, promotes hepatocarcinogenesis in male patients, and is also a potential prognostic marker in male patients with HCC.