Analysis for MBOAT Family Genes in Human Liver Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Membrane-bound O-acyltransferases (MBOATs), a group of integral transmembrane enzymes that perform divergent functions which are attractive drug targets in cancer. 11 of MBOAT proteins (MBOAT1, MBOAT2, HHATL, GOAT, LPCAT3, MBOAT7, SOAT1, SOAT2, HHAT, DGAT1, PORCN) are located in the progression of various cancer types, especially in Liver Hepatocellular Carcinoma. Although these proteins are important drug targets, the diverse expression patterns and prognostic values have yet to be analyzed. Here we discussed the transcriptional and survival data of 11 of MBOAT proteins in patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma from the cBioPortal databases, Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis (GEPIA), Oncomine, and Kaplan-Meier Plotter. We found that the expression levels of MBOAT2 and 7 were correlated with advanced tumor stage. Survival analysis using the Kaplan- Meier Plotter database revealed that the high transcription levels of MBOAT1, 7, SOAT1 and PORCN were associated with low relapse-free survival in all of the patients with Liver Hepatocellular Carcinoma. Conversely, high HHATL levels predicted high relapse-free survival in these patients. This study implied that MBOAT1, 7, SOAT1 and PORCN are potential targets of precision therapy for patients with Liver Hepatocellular Carcinoma and that HHATL are new biomarkers for the prognosis of Liver Hepatocellular Carcinoma.