CD63 negatively regulates hepatocellular carcinoma development through suppression of inflammatory cytokine‐induced STAT3 activation

Tetraspanin CD63 has been widely implicated in tumour progression of human malignancies. However, its role in the tumorigenesis and metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains unclear yet. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the specific function and underlying mechanisms of CD63 in HCC progression. CD63 expression in HCC tissues was detected using immunohistochemistry and quantitative real‐time PCR analyses; effects of CD63 on HCC cell proliferation and migration were investigated by CCK‐8 assay, colony formation assay, transwell assay and a xenograft model of nude mice. RNA‐sequencing, bioinformatics analysis, dual‐luciferase reporter assay and Western blot analysis were performed to explore the underlying molecular mechanisms. Results of our experiments showed that CD63 expression was frequently reduced in HCC tissues compared with adjacent normal tissues, and decreased CD63 expression was significantly associated with larger tumour size, distant site metastasis and higher tumour stages of HCC. Overexpression of CD63 inhibited HCC cell proliferation and migration, whereas knockdown of CD63 promoted these phenotypes. IL‐6, IL‐27 and STAT3 activity was regulated by CD63, and blockade of STAT3 activation impaired the promotive effects of CD63 knockdown on HCC cell growth and migration. Our findings identified a novel CD63‐IL‐6/IL‐27‐STAT3 axis in the development of HCC and provided a potential target for the diagnosis and treatment of this disease.