Accumulating evidence suggests the involvement of tumor-derived exosomes in the development and recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We previously identified miR-4669 as a highly expressed microRNA in circulating exosomes obtained from patients with post-transplant HCC recurrence. This study aimed to explore how overexpression of miR-4669 affects HCC development and recurrence. The impact of miR-4669 overexpression in Hep3B cells on tumor cell behavior and the tumor microenvironment was evaluated in vitro. In addition, the clinical value of exosomal miR-4669 for the prediction of treatment response to HCC downstaging therapies and following post-transplant HCC recurrence was explored. Overexpression of miR-4669 enhanced migration ability and led to acquired sorafenib resistance with an elevation of sirtuin 1 and long noncoding RNA associated with microvascular invasion. Active release of tumor-derived exosomes and glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) contributed to generating an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment through the induction of M2 macrophage polarization. The retrospective analysis demonstrated the clinical value of exosomal miR-4669 for predicting treatment response to HCC downstaging therapies and for risk assessment of post-transplant HCC recurrence. In summary, the present data demonstrate the impact of exosomal miR-4669 on HCC recurrence through the enhancement of tumor aggressiveness and generation of an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment.
Keywords: GAPDH; drug resistance; exosomes; hepatocellular carcinoma; macrophage polarization; microRNAs; tumor cell migration; tumor microenvironment.