[摘要]：Since Rho-mediated signaling can regulate liver cancer cell proliferation, amino acid sequence changes of its downstream targets, actins, might alter the properties of cell growth. Here, we investigated the function of a novel class of actins, named K-actins, in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Materials and Methods: Alexander cells overexpressing an HCC-derived K-actin (Alex-K cells) were established to study growth property changes. K-actin expression was also determined in tumor and noncancerous tissues from 72 HCC patients. Survival analysis was conducted to evaluate the prognostic predictive value of K-actin expression. Results: Phylogenetic analysis showed that K-actin sequences constituted 94.7% and 17.6% of actin transcripts in Alex-K and naive Alexander cells, respectively. Alex-K cells exhibited serum-independent cell growth with increased anchorage-independent colony formation and BrdU incorporation upon serum deprivation. Cox proportional hazard analysis showed that K-actin expression in both cancerous and noncancerous tissues predicted poorer postoperative disease-free survival (p=0.004). Conclusion: Overexpression of K-actin altered growth properties of hepatoma cells, contributing to poor postoperative prognosis.
