c‑Myc‑regulated RPLP0 via the ROS‑mediated JAK2/STAT3 positive feedback loop facilitates hepatocellular carcinoma malignancy progression

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) continues to rank as a predominant contributor to cancer‑related mortality on a global scale, attributed to its insidious onset and unfavorable prognosis. The ribosomal protein lateral stalk subunit P0 (RPLP0) has recently gathered widespread attention as a crucial factor in the pathological progression of various neoplasms; however, its exact role in HCC remains inadequately defined. Consequently, the present study endeavored to shed light on the function and mechanistic underpinnings of RPLP0 in HCC and assess its clinical significance and potential as a therapeutic target. qPCR and western blot analyses indicated that RPLP0 was markedly upregulated in HCC, with its elevated levels correlating with poorer survival outcomes. Silencing RPLP0 expression suppressed the proliferative, invasive, migratory, and epithelial‑mesenchymal transition (EMT) abilities of HCC cells, while concurrently promoting apoptosis, autophagy, and G₂/M cell cycle arrest, as evidenced by CCK‑8, colony formation, Transwell assays and flow cytometry analysis, respectively. Moreover, the findings revealed that RPLP0 downregulation mediated the suppression of the JAK2/STAT3 pathway through reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation, which in turn downregulated c‑Myc expression. Furthermore, chromatin immunoprecipitation and dual luciferase assays demonstrated that c‑Myc directly bound to the promoter sequence of RPLP0, thereby augmenting its transcriptional activity. In summary, the current study highlighted that RPLP0 establishes a feedback circuit with c‑Myc by facilitating JAK2/STAT3 pathway activation through suppressing ROS levels, while c‑Myc reciprocally activates RPLP0, forming a regulatory circuit loop that drives HCC progression. Thus, targeting the c‑Myc/RPLP0/ROS/JAK2/STAT3 axis emerges as a promising therapeutic strategy for the management of HCC.