Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42265080›Full record

ArticleCell death & disease2026

MRPL3 enhances mitochondrial function via the TOMM40/PGC-1α/TFAM axis to drive early recurrence in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Shubin Wang, Wuhan Yang, Teng Pan, Huiyan Deng, Zheng Wu, Xing Li, Xiaokuan Zhang, Lu Bai, Qi Feng, Huifang Wang and 3 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Cell death & disease, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

13 authors.

Shubin Wang *Department of General Medicine, The Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, PR China.
Wuhan Yang *Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, The Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, PR China.
Teng PanDepartment of Oncology, Shijiazhuang People's Hospital, Shijiazhuang, PR China.
Huiyan DengDepartment of Pathology, The Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, PR China.
Zheng WuDepartment of Immuno-Oncology, The Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, PR China.
Xing LiDepartment of Immuno-Oncology, The Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, PR China.
Xiaokuan ZhangDepartment of Immuno-Oncology, The Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, PR China.
Lu BaiDepartment of Immuno-Oncology, The Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, PR China.
Qi FengDepartment of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, PR China.
Huifang WangDepartment of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, PR China.
Lei NieDepartment of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, PR China. leinie@hebmu.edu.cn.
Li PengDepartment of Hepatobiliary Surgery, The Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, PR China. pengli@hebmu.edu.cn.
Zhiyu WangDepartment of Immuno-Oncology, The Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, PR China. drwangzhiyu@hebmu.edu.cn.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3100-4517

Funding

Hebei Province Science and Technology Support Program 252W7705D
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Early recurrence after curative resection remains a major obstacle to improving outcomes in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Given the pivotal role of mitochondrial reprogramming in tumor progression, we investigated the contribution of mitochondrial ribosomal protein L3 (MRPL3) to postoperative early recurrence and its underlying mechanisms. Label-free quantitative proteomic profiling of HCC tissues identified MRPL3 as a recurrence-associated candidate. Its overexpression in HCC was confirmed by qRT-PCR, western blotting, and immunohistochemistry, and correlated with poor disease-free and overall survival. Functional assays demonstrated that MRPL3 enhances HCC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion both in vitro and in vivo by improving mitochondrial respiration, membrane potential, and ATP production while reducing reactive oxygen species levels. Mechanistically, MRPL3 associates with TOMM40, a core component of the mitochondrial outer membrane translocase complex, through its ΔR1 (1-174 aa) region and the ΔR2 (181-361 aa) domain of TOMM40, forming a protein complex that contributes to the activation of the PGC-1α/TFAM signaling pathway. Disruption of this axis abrogated the metabolic and oncogenic effects of MRPL3. Collectively, these findings identify MRPL3 as a key mitochondrial regulator that promotes metabolic reprogramming and drives early recurrence of HCC through the TOMM40/PGC-1α/TFAM axis, suggesting its potential as a prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target to prevent postoperative relapse.

Indexed as

Carcinoma, HepatocellularDNA-Binding ProteinsLiver NeoplasmsMembrane Transport ProteinsMitochondriaMitochondrial Membrane Transport ProteinsMitochondrial ProteinsNeoplasm Recurrence, LocalPeroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor Gamma Coactivator 1-alphaRibosomal ProteinsTranscription FactorsAnimalsCell Line, TumorCell MovementCell ProliferationHumansDNA-Binding ProteinsMembrane Transport ProteinsMitochondrial Membrane Transport ProteinsMitochondrial Precursor Protein Import Complex ProteinsMitochondrial ProteinsPeroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor Gamma Coactivator 1-alphaPPARGC1A protein, humanRibosomal ProteinsTOMM40 protein, humanTranscription Factors

Identifiers

PMID42265080
PMCPMC13469937

What Socratic holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.