Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42683247›Full record

ArticleFrontiers in immunology2026

OLFML2B promotes hepatocellular carcinoma malignancy via the PI3K/AKT-EMT axis and correlates with an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment.

Xiaoling Liu, Yonghong Wang, Jingjing Bai, Cunliang Deng, Changfeng Sun

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Frontiers in immunology, 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
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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

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

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

5 authors.

Xiaoling Liu *Department of Infectious Diseases, Affiliated Hospital, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, China.
Yonghong Wang *Department of Infectious Diseases, Affiliated Hospital, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, China.
Jingjing Bai *Department of Infectious Diseases, Affiliated Hospital, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, China.
Cunliang DengDepartment of Infectious Diseases, Affiliated Hospital, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, China.
Changfeng SunDepartment of Infectious Diseases, Affiliated Hospital, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Introduction: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a leading cause of global cancer-related mortality, highlighting the need for novel biomarkers and therapeutic targets. Methods: The role of Olfactomedin-like 2B (OLFML2B) in HCC was investigated through multi-database analyses (The Cancer Genome Atlas, International Cancer Genome Consortium, Gene Expression Omnibus) and experimental validation. Results: OLFML2B was significantly upregulated in HCC tissues, correlated with poor overall and disease-specific survival, clinicopathological features (tumor grade, stage, age, gender), and robust diagnostic performance (AUC > 0.7 across 14/15 datasets). Transcriptomic and single-cell analyses further revealed that high OLFML2B expression was associated with an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment, characterized by increased infiltration of M2 macrophages, cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), and regulatory T cells (Tregs), as well as reduced abundance of cytotoxic T cells and NK cells. Knockdown of OLFML2B suppressed malignant phenotypes, including cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and angiogenesis, attenuated PI3K/AKT-EMT signaling, and enhanced sensitivity to sorafenib, cabozantinib, and regorafenib in Huh7 and HepG2 cells. Additionally, OLFML2B knockdown suppressed tumor growth and metastasis in zebrafish xenografts. Discussion: Collectively, these findings indicate that OLFML2B is required for HCC progression and represents a prognostic biomarker and potential therapeutic target.

Indexed as

Carcinoma, HepatocellularEpithelial-Mesenchymal TransitionLiver NeoplasmsPhosphatidylinositol 3-KinasesProto-Oncogene Proteins c-aktTumor MicroenvironmentAnimalsCell Line, TumorCell ProliferationFemaleGene Expression Regulation, NeoplasticHumansMaleMiceSignal TransductionZebrafishPhosphatidylinositol 3-KinasesProto-Oncogene Proteins c-aktdrug sensitivityepithelial-mesenchymal transitionhepatocellular carcinomametastasisOLFML2BPI3K/Akt pathwayproliferation

Identifiers

PMID42683247
PMCPMC13531038

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.