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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Microbiol.
Sec. Virology
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2024.1461456

Transcriptomic and Metabolomic Analyses Reveal the Spatial Role of Carnitine Metabolism in the Progression of Hepatitis B Virus Cirrhosis to Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Provisionally accepted
Pengxiang Gao Pengxiang Gao 1,2Qiuping Liu Qiuping Liu 1Ziye Luo Ziye Luo 1Wenjun Pu Wenjun Pu 3,4*
  • 1 College of Life Sciences and Oceanography, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China
  • 2 Key Laboratory of Optoelectronics Devices and Systems of Ministry of Education, College of Optoelectronic Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
  • 3 The Second Clinical Medical College, Jinan University, Shen zhen, China
  • 4 Sichuan Key Laboratory of Medical Imaging, Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan Medical College, Nanchong, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Liver cirrhosis (LC) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) resulting from chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection are major health concerns. Identifying critical biomarkers and molecular targets is needed for early diagnosis, prognosis, and therapy of these diseases. In this study, we explored the gene expression and metabolism in the liver tissues of LC, HCC, and healthy controls, to analyse and identify potential biomarkers of disease progression. Mass spectrometry imaging was used to evaluate the spatial distribution of key metabolites. The results revealed significant changes in gene expression and metabolic pathways along with disease progression. The upregulated genes were associated with extracellular matrix remodelling and cancer pathways, including LAMC1-3, COL9A2, COL1A1, MYL9, MYH11, and KAT2A. The downregulated genes were linked to immune response and fatty acid metabolism. Metabolomic analysis showed major changes in lipid and choline metabolism. Consistent changes in the expression of specific genes and metabolites were correlated with clinical data. Notably, metabolites such as L-acetylcarnitine, histamine, and 4-trimethylammoniobutanoic acid demonstrated high accuracy (AUC>0.85) in distinguishing between healthy, LC, and HCC groups. This study identifies key gene and metabolite changes in HBV related LC and HCC, highlighting critical pathways involved in disease progression. Biomarkers like L-acetylcarnitine and KAT2A show promise for early diagnosis and prognosis, potentially improving outcomes for hepatitis liver disease patients.

    Keywords: Hepatitis B virus, Liver Cirrhosis, Hepatocellular Carcinoma, transcriptomic, metabolomic, Mass spectrometry imaging, Carnitine metabolism

    Received: 08 Jul 2024; Accepted: 05 Nov 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Gao, Liu, Luo and Pu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Wenjun Pu, The Second Clinical Medical College, Jinan University, Shen zhen, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.