The Role of ZNF207 in Liver Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Expression Analysis and Prognostic Implications

Objective: To analyze the expression and clinical significance of the zinc finger protein ZNF207 gene in liver hepatocellular carcinoma (LIHC) based on The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. Methods: The mRNA sequencing data of 371 cases of primary liver cancer, 50 cases of normal tissues, and 3 cases of recurrent liver cancer were downloaded from the TCGA database. The corresponding clinical information of the 371 cases of hepatocellular carcinoma was subsequently analyzed. The difference in ZNF207 expression between normal and tumor tissues was analyzed using the UALCAN online database. The impact of ZNF207 expression on survival prognosis was assessed using the Kaplan-Meier method in R software. The GO and KEGG pathways of ZNF207 were analyzed. The Cox proportional hazards model was used to evaluate the prognostic factors of patients with LIHC. RT-qPCR was employed to verify the expression of ZNF207 in LIHC cells. Results: ZNF207 was highly expressed in LIHC tissues and HepG2 cells, with a significant difference (P < 0.05). Multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed that patients with high ZNF207 expression had a significantly shorter overall survival time compared to those with low ZNF207 expression (HR = 1.466, 95% CI: 1.011–2.126, P < 0.05). GO enrichment analysis suggested that ZNF207 may influence the onset and progression of hepatocellular carcinoma by regulating mRNA splicing and mRNA transcription processing through the spliceosome. KEGG pathway enrichment analysis indicated that ZNF207 might affect the onset and progression of hepatocellular carcinoma through mitophagy, mRNA surveillance, homologous recombination, spliceosome, and nuclear-cytoplasmic transport. Conclusion: The expression of ZNF207 may be an independent predictor of the prognosis of patients with LIHC and could influence the development of hepatocellular carcinoma through various gene functions and pathways. It has the potential to serve as a novel molecular marker for predicting the prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma.