Publication Name	World Journal of Gastrointestinal Oncology
Manuscript ID	106410
Country	China

Category	Oncology
Manuscript Type	Letter to the Editor
Article Title	MEX3A promotes hepatocellular carcinoma cell proliferation and migration via the Wnt/β-catenin and EMT pathways
Manuscript Source	Invited Manuscript
All Author List	Fan-Kai Xiao, Ping Li, Xin-Min Li and Yin Mi
Funding Agency and Grant Number	Funding Agency Grant Number Youth Foundation of He’nan Scientific Committee 202300410416 Henan Province Medical Science, Technology Breakthrough Plan Project LHGJ20190033
Corresponding Author	Fan-Kai Xiao, Associate Professor, MD, PhD, oncology, first affiliated hospital of zhengzhou university, No,1 jianshe Rd, Zhengzhou China, Zhengzhou 450052, Henan Province, China. xfkw@hotmail.com
Key Words	MEX3A; Hepatocellular carcinoma; Epithelial-mesenchymal transition; Biomarker; Proliferation; Migration
Core Tip	This letter analysis of The Cancer Genome Atlas data revealed that MEX3A mRNA expression is significantly higher in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tissues compared to adjacent non-tumor tissues. High MEX3A expression was associated with worse overall survival in HCC patients. Knockdown of MEX3A in HCC cell lines (HepG2 and MHCC-97H) significantly inhibited cell proliferation and colony formation. MEX3A silencing induced cell cycle arrest at the G1 phase, accompanied by decreased expression of cyclin D1 and increased expression of p21, a cell cycle inhibitor. MEX3A knockdown reduced the nuclear translocation of β-catenin (P < 0.05), a key component of the Wnt signaling pathway, and downregulated downstream targets such as c-Myc and cyclin D1. The development of treatments targeting genes with oncogenic alterations and related signaling pathways, based on advances in understanding of molecular cancer biology, was a major step in cancer treatment evolution.
Citation	Xiao FK, Li P, Li XM, Mi Y. MEX3A promotes HCC cell proliferation and migration via the Wnt/β-catenin and EMT pathways. World J Gastrointest Oncol 2025; In press

Received	2025-02-26 10:47
Peer-Review Started	2025-02-26 10:48
To Make the First Decision
Return for Revision	2025-04-03 08:49
Revised	2025-04-29 11:10
Second Decision	2025-06-16 02:43
Accepted by Journal Editor-in-Chief
Accepted by Executive Editor-in-Chief	2025-06-16 09:20
Articles in Press	2025-06-16 09:20
Publication Fee Transferred
Edit the Manuscript by Language Editor
Typeset the Manuscript

ISSN	1948-5204 (online)
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