Knockdown of CUEDC1 restrains the growth and migration of hepatocellular carcinoma cells through affecting the TβRI/Smad signaling pathway

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), as one usual tumor, and owns the significant mortality rates. The involvement of the coupling of ubiquitin conjugation to endoplasmic reticulum degradation (CUE) domain containing 1 (CUEDC1) in cancer progression, either facilitating or inhibiting, has been documented in various cancers. Nevertheless, the regulatory role of CUEDC1 in HCC progression holds unclear. This work aims to elucidate the impact of CUEDC1 on HCC progression. Analysis using the Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis (GEPIA) online database revealed elevated expression of CUEDC1 in liver hepatocellular carcinoma (LIHC) tissues. Subsequently, in HCC cell lines, the elevated CUEDC1 protein expression was confirmed. Silencing CUEDC1 was found to restrain tumor growth in HCC, alongside attenuating cell migration and invasion. Notably, knockdown of CUEDC1 was determined to activate the transforming growth factor-β receptor I (TβRI)/Smad signaling pathway. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that CUEDC1 knockdown restrained the growth and migration of HCC cells under affecting the TβRI/Smad signaling pathway. These findings suggest CUEDC1 could be a helpful target for HCC improvement.