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2nd Edition of International Cancer & Immuno-Oncology Conference

March 19-21, 2026 | Singapore

March 19 -21, 2026 | Singapore
CIOC 2026

Integrating single-cell and spatial transcriptomics to uncover and elucidate GP73-mediated pro-angiogenic regulatory networks in hepatocellular carcinoma

Speaker at International Cancer & Immuno-Oncology Conference 2026 - Jiazhou Ye
Guangxi Medical University Cancer Hospital, China
Title : Integrating single-cell and spatial transcriptomics to uncover and elucidate GP73-mediated pro-angiogenic regulatory networks in hepatocellular carcinoma

Abstract:

In this study we are the first  worldwide to reveal a GP73-mediated regulatory network that promotes tumor angiogenesis and progression in Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) under hyperxia stress. Our findings demonstrated that GP73 plays crucial roles in tumor angiogenesis niche and exhibits  favorable anti-angiogenic potential, highlighting its therapeutic relevance for HCC treatment.

HCC was characterized as being hypervascular. In the present study, we generated a single-cell spatial transcriptomic landscape of the vasculogenic etiology of HCC and illustrated overexpressed Golgi phosphoprotein 73 (GP73) HCC cells exerting cellular communication with vascular endothelial cells with high pro-angiogenesis potential via multiple receptor–ligand interactions in the process of tumor vascular development. Speciffcally, we uncovered an interactive GP73-mediated regulatory network coordinated with c-Myc, lactate, Janus kinase 2/signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (JAK2/STAT3) pathway, and endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) signals in HCC cells and elucidated its proangiogenic roles in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, we found that GP73, the pivotal hub gene, was activated by histone lactylation and c-Myc, which stimulated the phosphorylation of downstream STAT3 by directly binding STAT3 and simultaneously enhancing glucose-regulated protein 78 (GRP78)-induced ERS. STAT3 potentiates GP73-mediated pro-angiogenic functions. Clinically, serum GP73 levels were positively correlated with HCC response to anti-angiogenic regimens and were essential for a prognostic nomogram showing good predictive performance for determining 6-month and 1-year survival in patients with HCC treated with anti-angiogenic therapy. Taken together, the aforementioned data characterized the pro-angiogenic roles and mechanisms of a GP73-mediated network and proved that GP73 is a crucial tumor angiogenesis niche gene with favorable anti-angiogenic potential in the treatment of HCC.

Biography:

Jiazhou Ye, M.D., is a Professor of Hepatobiliary Surgery at the Guangxi Medical University Cancer Hospital, China (also known as Guangxi tumor institute/Guangxi cancer center, China). He has been awarded multiple Chinese national science grants for liver cancer research projects. He serves as the chief secretary of Integrated Prevention and Screening Committee for Liver Cancer, China Anti-Cancer Association. With over 40 publications as first or corresponding author, his works has been cited by the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) Clinical Practice Guidelines and other four clinical guidelines or expertise consensus on the HCC management.

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