Up-regulated RFC2 Predicts Unfavorably Progression in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Abstract

Background: Replication factor C (RFC) is closely related to tumor progression and metastasis. However, the functional significance of RFC2 in hepatocellular carcinoma remains unclear.Materials and methods: In order to solve this problem, the expression of RFC2 in liver cancer patients was analyzed through ONCOMINE, UALCAN, human protein atlas. Survival analysis was conducted using Kaplan-Meier plotter and GEPIA. GO and KEGG enrichment analyses were carried out. The protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was performed through Metascape.Result: The transcription and protein level of RFC2 in HCC were overexpressed, which was significantly related to the clinical individual cancer stage and pathological tumor grade of HCC patients. In addition, in patients with liver cancer, higher RFC2 expression was found to be significantly correlated with shorter OS and DFS. Furthermore, the function of RFC2 in liver cancer was DNA replication, and its main mechanism was the phase transition of the cell cycle.Conclusion: RFC2 might promote the development of liver cancer. It could also be used as a novel biomarker for the prognosis of liver cancer.