RNA-binding motif protein 25 (RBM25) is a poorly characterized RNA-binding protein that is involved in several biological processes and regulates the proliferation and metastasis of tumor cells. The regulatory role of RBM25 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is unknown. Here, RBM25 expression and outcomes in HCC patients were evaluated using The Cancer Genome Atlas database. RBM25 was overexpressed in HCC patients compared with the healthy group. The high expression of RBM25 in tumor tissues was significantly related to poor overall survival (P<0.001). Overexpression of RBM25 significantly contributed to poorer survival in male patients and N0 stage patients (P<0.001). Spearman analysis and weighted gene co-expression network analysis identified 694 RBM25-related genes. Protein-protein interaction network analysis revealed the Cluster with the highest score, which positively correlated with RBM25. CDCA5 and INCENP were identified as the core functional genes related to RBM25. The overexpression of CDCA5 and INCENP in HCC patients was examined using the Human Protein Atlas database. The findings collectively indicated that RBM25 may interact with CDCA5 and INCENP to regulate HCC. Our detailed characterization of RBM25 protein interactions and related core functional genes provides a basis for further studies aimed at identifying molecular regulatory pathways or splicing events.
Keywords: RBM25; hepatocellular carcinoma; overall survival; prognosis; regulatory network.