Role of SLC39A6 in the development and progression of liver cancer

Liver cancer is one of the most common malignant solid tumor types worldwide. The solute carrier (SLC)39A family is a main member of the SLC group of membrane transport proteins, which transfer zinc to the cytoplasm when cells are depleted of zinc; thus, it may provide a novel therapeutic target for human cancer. However, the prognostic value of SLC39A genes in patients with liver cancer has remained elusive. Therefore, the present study aimed to explore whether SLC39A family genes are associated with the survival rate of patients with liver cancer and to investigate the role of key genes of the SLC39A family in liver cancer. The mRNA expression of the SLC39A family in liver cancer was obtained from the UALCAN database. Survival curve analysis was performed to investigate the prognostic value of SLC39A family genes in the overall survival of patients with liver cancer. In addition to the bioinformatics analysis, SLC39A6 was knocked down in HepG2 and Hep3B cells to examine the effect on the proliferation, migration and invasion of liver cancer cells. The results suggested that SLC39A6 was significantly upregulated in liver cancer tissues compared with normal liver tissues. High expression of SLC39A6 was significantly associated with poor overall survival of patients with liver cancer. Furthermore, knockdown of SLC39A6 inhibited the proliferation, migration and invasion of liver cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. Collectively, the results of the present study suggested that SLC39A6 may be a promising prognostic biomarker for liver cancer and is associated with the proliferation, migration and invasion of liver cancer.