Abstract
BACKGROUND: The tumor microenvironment (TM) in close contact with cancer cells is highly related to tumor growth and cancer metastasis. This study is to explore the biogenesis mechanism of a secondary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) based on the function of RNA binding proteins (RBPs)-encoding genes in the physiological microenvironment (PM). METHODS: The healthy and HCC mice were used to isolate the PM, pre-tumor microenvironment (PTM), and TM. The samples were analyzed using the technology of RNA-seq and bioinformatics. The differentially expressed RBPs-encoding genes (DERs) and differentially expressed DERs-associated genes (DEDs) were screened to undergo GO and KEGG analysis. RESULTS: 18 DERs and DEDs were identified in the PTM vs. PM, 87 in the TM vs. PTM, and 87 in the TM vs. PM. Those DERs and DEDs participated in the regulation of gene expression at the levels of chromatin conformation, gene activation and silencing, splicing and degradation of mRNA, biogenesis of piRNA and miRNA, ribosome assemble, and translation of proteins. CONCLUSION: The genes encoding RBPs and the relevant genes are involved in the transformation from PM to PTM, then constructing the TM by regulating protein synthesis. This regulation included whole process of biological genetic information transmission from chromatin conformation to gene activation and silencing to mRNA splicing to ribosome assemble to translation of proteins and degradation of mRNA. The abnormality of those functions in the organic microenvironments promoted the metastasis of HCC and initiated the biogenesis of a secondary HCC in a PM when the PM encountered the invasion of cancer cells.