Hepatocellular carcinoma hosts immature neurons and cholinergic tumors that correlate with adverse molecular features and outcomes

Abstract

Background & aimsThe unexplained interpatient variation in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains a major challenge. We aimed at addressing the under-explored association between the disease and the hepatic autonomic nervous system (ANS). Methods & ResultsWe in-depth characterized the innervation of French biobanks HCC samples by conventional biochemistry methods. We also applied bioinformatics approaches to the TCGA dataset in order to stratify samples according to neural features and molecular correlates. We highlighted the predominant parasympathetic polarity of HCC nerves, and demonstrated that a cirrhotic rat model of aggressive HCC hosts liver neurogenesis with cholinergic features. Using the TCGA dataset, we then defined an HCC neural signature, derived from adrenergic and cholinergic receptor levels, that allowed patient stratification into two classes. Cholinergic tumors correlated with TP53 mutations (p [≤] 0.05), shorter progression-free interval (PFI) and overall survival (OS), displayed more pathogenic molecular traits (e.g., AFP-rich, proliferative tumors, mitotic functions including DNA repair, EMT, Ras, and Akt/mTOR pathways), aggressive HCC signatures and B cell accumulation. Instead, adrenergic tumors, predominant in patients aged >60 and with mutated CTNNB1, were correlated with better OS and PFI (p < 0.05), and numerous immune pathways. ConclusionsOur results depict neural features of HCC and how the existing tumor classification may also be shaped by neural inputs. Altogether, we show that the parasympathetic branch of the ANS is implicated in the pathobiology of HCC, and advocate for the use of ANS-targeting drugs in HCC research, many of which are clinically safe and well characterized.