NUDT21 Negatively Regulates PSMB2 and CXXC5 by Alternative Polyadenylation and Contributes to Hepatocellular Carcinoma Suppression

HCC is the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the progression of HCC is still largely elusive. NUDT21 (CFIm25) is an important mediator of 3' UTR APA and demonstrates a causal relationship between alternative polyadenylation and cancer cell proliferation. Although the function of NUDT21 has been explored in glioblastoma tumor, the functional significance of NUDT21 in solid tumors is not well understood. In this study, we observed that NUDT21 is suppressed in human HCC tissues, compared to adjacent noncancerous tissues. In addition we found that the HCC patients with suppressed NUDT21 are statistically associated with poor outcomes. These observations suggest NUDT21 possibly functions as tumor suppressor in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).