Identification and Validation of DEPDC1B as an Independent Early Diagnostic and Prognostic Biomarker in Liver Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Liver hepatocellular carcinoma (LIHC) is one of the most lethal tumors worldwide, and while its detailed mechanism of occurrence remains unclear, an early diagnosis of LIHC could significantly improve the 5-years survival of LIHC patients. It is therefore imperative to explore novel molecular markers for the early diagnosis and to develop efficient therapies for LIHC patients. Currently, DEPDC1B has been reported to participate in the regulation of cell mitosis, transcription, and tumorigenesis. To explore the valuable diagnostic and prognostic markers for LIHC and further elucidate the mechanisms underlying DEPDC1B-related LIHC, numerous databases, such as Oncomine, Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis (GEPIA), UALCAN, Kaplan-Meier plotter, and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) were employed to determine the association between the expression of DEPDC1B and prognosis in LIHC patients. Generally, the DEPDC1B mRNA level was highly expressed in LIHC tissues, compared with that in normal tissues (p < 0.01). High DEPDC1B expression was associated with poor overall survival (OS) in LIHC patients, especially in stage II, IV, and grade I, II, III patients (all p < 0.05). The univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that DEPDC1B was an independent risk factor for OS among LIHC patients (HR = 1.3, 95% CI: 1.08–1.6, p = 0.007). In addition, the protein expression of DEPDC1B was validated using Human Protein Atlas database. Furthermore, the expression of DEPDC1B was confirmed by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) assay using five pairs of matched LIHC tissues and their adjacent noncancerous tissues. The KEGG pathway analysis indicated that high expression of DEPDC1B may be associated with several signaling pathways, such as MAPK signaling, the regulation of actin cytoskeleton, p53 signaling, and the Wnt signaling pathways. Furthermore, high DEPDC1B expression may be significantly associated with various cancers. Conclusively, DEPDC1B may be an independent risk factor for OS among LIHC cancer patients and may be used as an early diagnostic marker in patients with LIHC.