miR-517b-3p promotes the progression of portal vein tumor thrombus via activating Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway in Hepatocellular carcinoma.

Aims: : The aim of this study was to investigate the expression patterns and prognostic value of microRNA-517b-3p (miR-517b-3p) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients with portal vein tumor thrombus (PVTT). Methods: : Expression of miR-517b-3p in PVTT tissues and cells was estimated using qRT-PCR. The significance of miR-517b-3p were explored by Kaplan-Meier survival analysis, Cox regression assay and ROC analysis. Cell experiments were performed to examine the functional role of miR-517b-3p during progression of PVTT. The Biological process and Biological pathway analysis analyses were conducted through GSEA and FunRich. The protein-protein interaction (PPI) network of the DEGs was established through cBioPortal website. Results: : miR-517b-3p upregulated in both PVTT tissues and cells compared with the controls. The upregulated miR-517b-3p served as a potential diagnostic biomarker to distinguish PVTT from PT and controls, associated with poor overall survival and acted as an independent prognostic factor. The cell proliferation, migration and invasion were proved to be enhanced by overexpression of miR-517b-3p. Wnt/β-catenin signaling was suppressed by miR-517b-3p knockdown and might be involved in progression of PVTT. Conclusion: miR-517b-3p may promote PVTT cell proliferation, migration and invasion via activating Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. miR-517b-3p overexpression in PVTT samples, and serves as a candidate diagnostic and prognostic biomarker in HCC patients with PVTT.