The expression profiles and prognostic values of HSP70s in hepatocellular carcinoma

BACKGROUND: The HSP70 family of heat shock protein plays a critical role in protein synthesis and transport to maintain protein homeostasis. Several studies have indicated that HSP70s are related to the development and occurrence of various cancers. METHODS: The relationship between the overall survival rate of hepatocellular carcinoma patients and the expression of 14 HSP70s from multiple databases, such as TCGA, ONCOMINE, cBioPortal was investigated. Western Blot and PCR were used to evaluate HSPA4 and HSPA14 expressions in various HCC cells to identify suitable cell lines for further experiments .Wound-healing assays, Transwell assays and EdU assays were used to verify the effects of HSPA4 and HSPA14 on the function of hepatocellular carcinoma cells, and statistical analysis was performed. RESULTS: Hepatocellular carcinoma tissues significantly expressed the 14 HSP70s compared to the normal samples. Besides, the high HSPA1A, HSPA1B, HSPA4, HSPA5, HSPA8, HSPA13, and HSPA14 expressions were inversely associated with the overall survival rate of patients, tumor grade, and cancer stage. A PPI regulatory network was constructed using the 14 HSP70s proteins with HSPA5 and HSPA8 at the network center. Univariate and multivariate analyses showed that HSPA4 and HSPA14 could be independent risk factors for the prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma patients. Cell experiments have also confirmed that reducing HSPA4 and HSPA14 expressions can inhibit the invasion, metastasis, and proliferation of hepatocellular carcinoma cells. CONCLUSIONS: Therefore, the HSP70s significantly influence the occurrence and development of hepatocellular carcinoma. For instance, HSPA4 and HSPA14 can be novel therapeutic targets and prognostic biomarkers for hepatocellular carcinoma. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12935-021-01987-9.