Original Article Cytohesin-3 is upregulated in hepatocellular carcinoma and contributes to tumor growth and vascular invasion

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a malignant tumor with high morbidity and mortality, and is character- ized by high potential for metastasis and recurrence. The outcome of it is still poor due to lacking of targeted thera- peutic strategies. There is an urgent need to find new therapeutic targets for interventions against HCC metastasis and recurrence. In the present study, we found cytohesin-3, a member of the cytohesin family, was upregulated in HCC tissues, and its expression was negatively correlated with the overall survival and relapse-free survival of HCC patients. Further clinicopathological correlation analysis revealed that cytohesin-3 expression was related with tu- mor size and vascular invasion. And in vitro studies revealed that knock-down of cytohesin-3 suppressed HCC cells proliferation and migration. These results suggest that cytohesin-3 may act as a novel prognostic factor of HCC, and it might also be useful to exploit targeted therapeutic drugs against HCC growth and metastasis.